Surprise For a Feral
by Canucklehead Cowgirl
Summary: When a black ops group starts picking up mutants, the X-Men intervene. This story follows the life of one of the three women that are nearly taken captive. OC's, deviates from current 616, some OOC, depending on what story lines you've read. NO Movie story lines/pairings. Little bit of love for everyone! This story has been totally revamped as of December 1, 2015
1. Have you met K?

The three women had been travelling together for a long time. Longer than they had thought, truth be told. Chloe and Zoe were sisters, and they'd bumped into K not long into their trip. She'd gotten them out of a tough spot and for some reason she let the sisters stick with her as she moved through the countryside. The girls had grown to depend on her. She'd shown them more about survival and hiding in the first week they'd been together than Chloe and Zoe had managed to learn since before they'd left their familial home until they'd met her.

K, however, didn't know how long she'd been moving, and the girls thought that they were doing her some kind of favor just from being with her. The truth was that for K, having two teenage girls with no street sense dragging behind her had made her moving undetected nearly impossible. She felt an odd sense of responsibility for them though that kept her from ditching them, even when it got too hot. She had pulled their chestnuts out of the fire more times than they could count.

The woman was a SURVIVOR in every sense of the word, and was easily the most tenacious person either had ever met. She dragged them along with her, keeping them safe from the men chasing them. Up to that point, it had been a matter of evasion &amp; hiding. It would have remained that way too for the forseeable future.

But - Chloe had decided she just couldn't take the rough lifestyle that they were living and snuck off while K slept to get herself a coffee from a Starbucks that they'd spotted as they tried to skirt away from the little town they were travelling past. When the teenager got up to pay she realized she didn't have the cash on her, but the smells drifting out of the cafe had called to her and her mouth watered thinking of the pumpkin latte with her name on it.

Temptation won out.

She broke one of K's cardinal rules and handed the cashier the credit card her parents had sent her off with for emergencies. On the hike back to camp, she did everything that K had taught her about moving undetected, and was doing a fine job of it too. She was proud of herself and how much she'd learned. The full fall colors around her just raised her spirits more as she slipped through the beautiful trees on the way to their hiding spot.

When she returned to their little camp, baked goods in hand for all, the smell woke K from her rest. Alarmed, her eyes popped open and she sat bolt upright before she glared between the two girls. "Where did you get the money for that?" she asked them, hoping that they weren't so stupid to break one of her rules. She didn't need them to answer. The guilty look on Chloe's face was more than enough. K groaned. They had been doing so well.

She snatched the wallet off the young woman and rifled through it until she found the card and snapped it into pieces, swearing at herself for trusting the girl to keep to her word before she stood quickly and slipped on her backpack. "MOVE. We have to get as far away from here as possible NOW." K growled, as she threw their packs at them.

Hastily, Zoe did as she was told, though she grumbled to herself about crazy brunettes in the wild. It was clear that the girls didn't understand why. Chloe even thought the woman was insane. She crossed her arms, ready to start bitching about K breaking the card when overhead a helicopter's wash rustled the leaves above and caused the little woman to instinctively crouch. It continued on, black and menacing and not a half mile away it started it's silent descent in an open field, under cover of trees, and out of plain sight of the town nearby. K pointed toward it as it landed.

"You see THAT. That's what you just did. THAT is what I've been avoiding." Her voice was uncharacteristically shaky as she spoke. The sisters were rightfully terrified.

Chloe started to blubber an apology, but K just shoved her backpack at her and told her to keep quiet, suck it up, and move fast. They had trouble keeping up with her as she wove through the trees, deeper into the woods and away from the little town.

The girls had gotten better at this, but K made it look easy. Every now and then, she'd stop and stretch out as tall as her little 5'2" frame would allow. She would close her eyes and breathe slowly and deeply. Sometimes after such a display, they would change directions as she told the girls to get lower into the dried and shriveling ferns.

They'd gone several miles through the woods when they came up on a clearing that was obviously a dairy farm. She made them skirt the field until they were somewhat close to the large barn before she gave the signal and they sprinted to it to slip into the barn unseen.

She then led the girls into the hay loft and started to re-arrange hay bales. "It doesn't matter what you did, it matters what you do now. They are coming. We're not far enough away, and it's all farms for the next fifty miles, maybe more. Not nearly enough cover to run during daylight and it'll be hours before dark. Get in the hay." She ordered them as she showed them a small cave she'd made. The girls shared a glance and followed her directions immediately.

"Whatever you do – whatever happens Do NOT come out. Remember what I taught you. Hide until they're gone. You have food and water for at least three days. Stay here until it's gone, then go. Got it?" They looked at her wide eyed as she turned her head toward the direction of the field they'd just passed through, clearly peeking through the cracks in the old barn as she looked outside.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Zoe asked, suddenly alarmed at the thought of going on without their guide. It was unimaginable. But K didn't reply. She simply stacked the bales up to hide the girls a little better before she froze and give them her signal to be quiet. In the makeshift cave the girls' realized that it was very likely that their protector was about to try for a diversion ... to save them.

K padded silently across the loft, nearer to the outer wall. As she peeked between the cracks, she spotted a few black ops soldiers skirting the far edge of the hay field, several hundred yards west of where they'd come out of the woods. She held her breath as she watched them move, hoping they'd turn the wrong way. Of course they didn't. On seeing they their trajectory, she just locked her jaw knowing that they were moving towards the barn fast. She silently slipped out of the hay loft and found a shovel - the only available near weapon in sight.

The handful of cows in the barn ignored her as they chewed their cuds, and went about their business. She found what she hoped would be a good ambush to the most likely entrance to the barn as the soldiers advanced. The girls were peeking out of the crack that K had left them and could just barely see her at the door, shovel in hand, ready to throw down as soon as one of those men took a step into the barn. She didn't have long to wait.

With a loud clang, the shovel left an impression on the first man through the door. As he hit the floor, the two men behind him rushed her. One wrenched the shovel from her hands as the other tackled her to the ground. She swung barefisted at him as if it was a bar room brawl. She fought hard but the man she'd hit with the shovel recovered quickly and rose to his feet as another one grabbed her arms. He twisted her arms, which made her cry out as they put her on the ground.

She struggled, kicking and screaming as they flipped her over so one could sit on her stomach, punching her over and over while the second held her hands down until she'd passed out. There was swearing and a few unnecessary blows as they began to work fast. Once she was unconscious, they pulled her hands behind her back and handcuffed her before they slapped a collar on her.

In a matter of minutes, more men filed in to start their search of the barn while the first group began thoroughly searching K, unconscious and bleeding. The girls trembled in fear as they watched the rough treatment K got. One of them took his time patting her down and grumbled about 'filthy muties', though he didn't seem to have a problem pawing at her.

As they watched, more men filed in ... they were bound to find them. Fear gripped Chloe ... she just stared at her terrified sister, wide eyed, shaking ... and Zoe mouthed to her _we should fight too_.

They waited as long as they could, their adreneline rushing before the girls burst out of their haystack, Zoe blasted her shockwaves ahead of her, and Chloe commanded the barns residents ... unfortunately, mostly rats, mice and cows to attack the men. Their fight didn't last long. The girls were shot with darts, and handcuffed before any of men were down, or even injured.

K had started to come around as they were dragging them out of the barn. She looked towards the unconscious sisters, and her heart fell. These girls didn't deserve this. She never should have tried to keep them with her. What lay ahead for them was all her fault and the guilt was more than she was ready to shoulder. Far too late she realized that rather than let them tag along, she should have tried to call one of those places that took in lost &amp; homeless mutants. All at once, tears began to fall on their own accord as she thought about what was next for the pretty little teenagers.

"Look at that, boys," One of the soldiers commented with an amused tone. "She does have some emotion to her. Whats wrong, princess? You upset we caught up to you finally?" Shaking, she couldn't answer but to growl. He chuckled and hauled her onto her knees by her hair so she could watch as they took the teenagers into custody.

The soldiers had the two girls tossed over their shoulders like sacks of potatoes, and two more men moved in to drag K by her elbows with her hands cuffed behind her back. She was stumbling along, dazed and bleeding from the beating they'd given her. Several unmarked panel vans and a couple humvees pulled up near the barn as the men dragged her across the field.

When she saw the vans, panic hit her freshly and she started to struggle harder, digging her feet into the soft dirt, she pulled back as hard as she could. But the two men were much bigger and stronger than her and after a brief struggle, and her wild attempt to bite one, they threw her to the ground. One jammed his knee at the back of her head, forcing her face into the freshly tilled half wet dirt until she quit fighting so hard.

She was gasping for air when he finally let her up with a chuckle. "That'll teach you to fight me," the soldier whispered harshly. Again, they got into place to move her. Instead of fighting her to walk they simply picked her up and carried her with one soldier holding her feet and another at each of her elbows. As they opened the doors to the vans, the winds picked up tremendously.

She looked up towards the darkening sky – wondering what the hell a harrier was doing in the middle of a cow pasture. Only, the sleek black jet didn't really look like anything she'd ever seen. It's shape was all wrong.

Without any further warning, the men around her started to shout and opened fire on the aircraft. The unconscious girls were forgotten momentarily, as the men carrying K dropped her face down in the dirt. When she rolled over and tried to stand, one of the men that had been holding her caught the movement from the corner of his eye and bashed her in the shoulder using the back of his rifle with all of his strength. She had no real recourse as the man hit her. She turned onto her side and kicked out, catching the soldier in the knee and dropping him. She tried to get to her feet, but he grabbed her leg and pulled it out from under her. Gunfire rang out around them as the wind whipped up more. She managed to get onto her knees and turned just in time to catch the butt of the rifle as it came down on her temple and for K, the world simply went black.


	2. Settling in

K woke up slowly - groggy and aching everywhere. She heard beeping near where she was laying. She was flat on her back, her hands at her sides. She didn't feel any restraints, but she still didn't move a muscle, or open an eye. She tried to keep her breathing even and slow. She could still feel the collar around her neck. Shit. She flexed her hands and legs to test and see if she was restrained. She was shocked to find that in fact, she was not. That in and of itself was stunning to her.

She cracked an eye open as easy and slow as she could and was not thrilled with what she found. A lab. Fantastic. Her luck didn't ever seem to go to the positive. She didn't know who had her. Or where she was. Or what this group wanted. Or who would be bad enough to put her in a bed unrestrained. Or - were the girls there too? That was enough to prompt her to get past her wariness. She had to know if they were alright.

She threw back the fear of what was sure to come and she opened her eyes fully and looked around. She was virtually alone. The girls were not anywhere near, and though she had hoped to see them, she didn't expect them to be anywhere near her. Just meant she'd have to hunt them down when she broke out.

Far to her left, and a fair distance away, was a very furry blue man in a lab coat, and a tall redheaded woman. _What did these bastards promise that blue fella to have him experimenting on his own?_ She thought. As if she'd shouted it, the pair looked up at her suddenly - shock was written all over the woman's face.

"Hello," the blue creature started as he began to slowly walk toward her. "You can call me Hank. Welcome. You seem to be in good health, in spite of the fact that you've apparently been wandering the forest for a while. We are trying to get that collar off of you, but to be honest, it's not one we've seen before, and we're erring on the side of caution for now. Aside from the black eye and bruised shoulder, how do you feel?" He spoke in a rush and as he finished, he pulled a small flashlight from his lab coat and began to shine it in her eyes, nodding to himself at his findings. She stared at him for a moment, confused.

"What are you going to do to me?" She asked slowly and quietly, but with a bit of an edge to her voice.

"TO you? Oh, no, my dear. We aren't like that here. We want to help you. We provide shelter and sustenance, medical intervention, if that's what you need. We can help you to hone your abilities if you like, and as I stated earlier – remove the inhibitor collar that is currently on your neck," Hank said, trying to come across as friendly and ending with a very kind smile. His tone was warm and welcoming, and he didn't seem to be lying, but then again ... for the time being she had no way of knowing.

"I don't need to hone anything," K said, setting both of them back for a moment as she paused. "Where are the two young women I was travelling with?" Her tone was stern, almost commanding. If these people were legit like Hank had said, he'd have no trouble telling her about them. She wasn't holding her breath.

"They are, I believe in a mathematics class, at the moment. They had not been hampered with an inhibitor as you were, so they are in full control of their abilities. They seem quite settled in," he told her matter of fact-ly. She looked surprised at the news. Math. She wasn't expecting that at all.

"Settled in," she said thoughtfully to herself. For some reason, she really wanted to believe him. "You're ... you're telling me this is a _school_?" The two of them nodded as K took them in for a few minutes before asking very cautiously. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days," the red head stated, "We were a bit concerned when you didn't wake up right away. You came in with a mid grade concussion, and your eye looks really tender still from that hit you took," she looked concerned as she reached to readjust the bandage that rested on K's temple. K flinched back from her, and she stopped. The red head apologized quietly as she pulled her hand back.

The color drained from K's face, and she felt suddenly very sick to her stomach. Three days? She couldn't ever remember being out of it for that long. Her hands went to her hair as she curled up into herself, drawing her knees to her chest. She ran her hands down the side of her face and down to her neck as she thought it through. Her fingers touched the metal collar that sat right over her voicebox and her throat tightened. Suddenly she felt as if she could vomit. Alarmed, the woman ran to her side, and helped her towards a basin.

"Don't panic - we will find a way to get that off. I swear, we're practically specialists. Just breathe, try to be calm, and let's get you all cleaned up - you'll feel much better after a shower, I'm sure," the redhead told her, a friendly smile on her face. K knew the woman was right, but it just sounded insane to her at that moment. She was so used to distrusting everyone that crossed her path, but ... for some reason she felt somewhat safe where she was.

She wondered briefly when was the last time she even HAD a real shower was. It seemed like all she could remember was taking a swim through a river, lake, or just stripping down in a downpour. Yeah, that really sounded great, hot water ... soap. K took a deep cleansing breath, and nodded her head, still holding her reservations about these people. After all, someone being nice often turned into someone torturing her in one way or another. She'd had more than enough of that.

"Thanks," K replied quietly, still warily looking around the lab. A small, kind smile appeared on the woman's stunningly lovely face.

"You're very welcome. I'm Jean, by the way. Hank is our resident Doctor. We're all mutants here, so you don't need to hide from us. If you need anything at all, please feel free to just let us know. We really do just want to help," She stated softly, gently. "In the meantime, why don't you come with me? I'll get you to a private shower, and find you some clean clothes while everyone is in class, then I can show you around." K just nodded, still very tired from whatever it was that went down in that old barn. She felt like she'd been hit by a truck. She'd heard of a place like this, but it was a time zone away from where the barn was. Come to think of it, she wasn't even sure what state she was in anymore.

"You can use my bathroom, no one will bother you there," Jean promised as she put her hand on K's shoulder, guiding her to the elevator. K's muscles automatically tightened and her chest constricted in nervousness and a general distrust of anyone. However, Jean tactfully ignored it and corrected herself, as if she were used to this kind of reaction. She guided K down a hallway, up a grand flight of stairs, and down a second hall to her suite, where she ushered her to the bathroom, and started up the shower.

* * *

Jean's room was something out of a hotel brochure. The large four post bed was covered in white fluffy pillows and a downy looking comforter. Two side tables made of cherry sat on either side of the bed ... a lamp on each and a few personal effects. Judging by the contents on the side tables, K quickly guessed that her redheaded host was married, the platinum wedding set she wore was of course a definite tip off. Judging from the various items in the room, she had to assume that her husband was a somewhat athletic man ... if the sneakers near the closet and the men's fitness magazines were any indicator. Jean called for her from the bathroom when the water was hot and K silently stepped in behind her.

"You just take your time, I'm a telepath, so if you need anything, just kind of shout it in your head and I'll hear it," Jean said to her and closed the door behind her.

_Where the hell am I anyhow?_ K thought to herself as she looked at the white walls and floors, polished chrome fixtures and a large mirror that covered most of the wall opposite the shower.

She looked around the bathroom for any hidden cameras or panels then she checked the mirror to see if it was really two way glass before stripping off her filthy clothes, and folding them neatly into a stack on a dirty towel before looking into the mirror. What a mess.

"Oh God," K grumbled out loud. She felt that she looked like Radagast's little sister. Her hair was a tangled filthy disaster with leaves and hay poking out here and there. She couldn't tell where the dirt ended and the bruises began on her skin. She looked to her hands and realized they weren't any better at all. She didn't recognize herself anymore.

Without waiting a moment longer, she grabbed a washcloth off the stack in the linens and jumped into the shower to get to work. With her face turned to the water, she closed her eyes and just reveled in it cascade down her body. She soaped up the cloth and started washing her face, enjoying the feel of the soap moving the dirt off, even where her face was so tender. She picked up the nearest bottle of shampoo and took a sniff. It smelled like diluted cologne ... _must be Jean's husbands' brand_, she thought. It smelled too strongly for her to use at any rate, even if she didn't have full use of her abilities. She looked around a moment, and found a comb - it would be smart, she thought, to remove the tangles and debris before trying to do a thing with her hair.

Ten minutes and a fair amount of work later, she was finally lathering up. The scent of flowers surrounded her as she watched the dirt swirl down the drain. She scrubbed every inch of herself at least twice, and ran her hands all over her body and scalp as she searched for ticks – a common hazard of living in the woods.

Hating the idea of having a dirty neck after washing so carefully, she gently slipped the washcloth between the metal collar and her skin. She pulled it back and forth just a bit, then unexpectedly a white hot blinding pain hit her, and knocked her flat on her back. Just that quickly she was bleeding from the back of her head, and the water was swirling the blood down the drain with the bubbles.

_Fantastic_, She thought. _dirty neck it will be._ She got up slowly, head pounding as Jean knocked on the door with a stack of clothes in her hands.

"Are you alright? What happened? Did you pass out?" She was alarmed and suddenly K felt very stupid and very naive for even trying such a stupid move.

"No, well, yeah, but I'm fine. I tried to wash under the collar. It was a stupid thing to do and I should have known better," she said to her, rather embarassed by her idiotic move. K cracked open the shower door and peeked out at Jean so she could see her head "Little bit more bloodied and bruised, but I'll live ... see?" K tried her best to put on a friendly smile as Jean rushed over to see her head. She gasped and her hand flew to cover her throat. K cringed, sure she looked the part of a hideous creature to get such a reaction from the model-esque Jean.

"I'm so sorry ... I didn't mean to react that way," she started, shaking her head and staring at K. "But frankly - I'm sorry we didn't clean your whole face now ... you're going to fit right in once you heal up." She continued to stare, and suddenly K felt quite awkward. Turning red, she quietly closed the door again, staring at the floor.

_Must look a lot worse than I thought_, K thought to herself.

"No," Jean laughed, "You were just so covered in dirt ... and the girls said you were always a mess,I just wasn't expecting such a pretty girl. I don't think they'll recognize you." She could hear the smile in her voice. "When you get out of there, feel free to help yourself to anything you'd like - hair products, makeup ... My friends are going to be tickled ... this means another shopping trip for your clothes." K finally laughed a bit,

"Sure, makeup ... I'll get right on that." Jean left her to finish up, and she wasted no more time, rushing through the last bit of re-washing. She dried off quickly, towel dried her hair, picked up the mess before she slipped on the clothes Jean had brought for her.

K was impressed at the telepath. She'd guessed K's sizes pretty well, though she had to roll up the legs of the blue jeans. She went over her hair one last time before she slapped it into a haphazard ponytail and finally looked into the mirror.

She thought that if the right side of her face didn't look like road rash, she could pass as human. On seeing how bad she really did look, she eighty sixed the pony tail and draped her long brown hair over the bruised portion of her face. Just then, there was a knock at the door,

"Whenever you're ready, I can take you down stairs. Jean had to start up a class so she'll show you around afterwards, I'm just supposed to be sure you get a bite to eat in the meantime." The tall, classically handsome brunette in strange, red sunglasses smiled as K opened the door.

"I'm Scott, by the way." He held out his hand, waiting for her to take up the friendly gesture. "It was my team that found you and the girls. Sorry I didn't get to introduce myself properly last time, but it got pretty hot for a minute there, and you were kind of unconscious by the time we got you on board." She took his hand gingerly and looked towards his covered eyes.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I never should have let them get that close," She said, sounding ashamed of herself. He looked taken aback.

"No reason to apologize. They hunt down mutants. Nothing you could have done," Scott replied with a kind smile that K felt she didn't deserve. She released his hand and crossed her arms over her chest. He looked sympathetic as he continued. "Well, come on - I know you haven't eaten in a few days anyhow." He showed her how to get to the kitchen and gestured for her to take a seat before he even went so far as to make her a sandwich. He was kind enough to not pick her brain while she ate. Instead, he just kept her quiet company, which K was grateful for. When she was done, he told her she had an appointment.

"Jean's class doesn't get out for another half hour, but the professor would like to meet with you as soon as possible. He's free right now, so if you'd just come this way, he has some questions for you." Her stomach twisted.

The Professor? That can't be good. It sounded familiar and very, _very_ bad. She was apprehensive about what was ahead and still didn't really have clue one as to where she was or who these people were. She was growing concerned that there were some less than honorable reasons for them having liberated her and the girls from that black ops group.

Hell, it wouldn't be the first time. Still, she held out hope that she was wrong. It was long overdue for her to get a break.


	3. Meetings

K padded silently behind Scott as he led her down a long hall with intricate hardwood panels, her heart was pounding and her eyes were darting around the hallway, peeking into any doors that were opened ... several classes were in session, and all of the children inside looked to be paying attention studiously. No one seemed to pay any mind to the physically mutated students. That at least put her slightly more at ease. As they reached a tall set of mahogany double doors, a soft voice rang out.

"Please, come in." Scott smiled at her as he opened one of the doors and gestured for her to go in. He followed her and closed the door behind him. Hank was there, seated already, and rose to shake K's hand, greeting her as if they'd been old friends.

"I'm glad to see you on your feet, K," the bald man behind the desk started out. "My name is Charles Xavier, and this is our school for gifted youngsters. You and your friends will be quite safe here, I assure you. One of our associates is currently on his way to figure out how to remove that barbaric device around your neck. Please, have a seat, I've some questions for you." His tone was kind, and had a quality to it that made her relax, so she cautiously sat between Hank and Scott, who held her chair for her before taking a seat. He was trying to be kind, but being flanked by the two of them still didn't do wonders for her trust issues.

_Perfect gentlemen, all of them,_ She thought to herself. She felt awkward with such consideration directed to her after all she'd been though.

"Thank you," She whispered to Scott as she sat, back bone straight, knees together, and hands on her knees, like any lady would. The professor's eyebrow went up as he watched her compose herself. He was used to a younger crowd that hadn't been taught to act like a lady, and from what the two girls had told him already about their time with K in the woods, it took him off guard. He smiled kindly at her good manners.

"You aren't as young as you look, are you, K?" He asked gently. Her mouth opened a bit as she considered her answer.

"Is that a complement or a question?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. Scott and Henry both looked at her with raised eyebrows at her answer.

"Fair enough," he replied with a smile. "Please, take it as a complement. "Could you tell me, by chance, what abilities you possess?" Her eyes flitted to her hands as her fingers tented a bit and she squirmed a bit in her chair.

"I ... ah ... I heal quickly- and I've been told I have exceptional senses," She answered slowly. Scott did a double take at her and opened his mouth to speak before Hank quickly cut in.

"Is that all?" Hank asked. She eyed him suspiciously but didn't reply - why would he expect more? What did he know? Scott saw the apprehension she had and decided to try and diffuse the situation.

"Can you tell us about your past, or even why that team was after you?" he asked, sounding a little bit businesslike. K's eyes slowly drifted from Hank to Scott ... clearly she didn't like that he had suspicions.

"I don't remember much. There was a lot of running. Fighting. I tried to help those girls. Um ... I remember being caged a few times ... and escaping ... but that's about all," She replied quietly. She thought perhaps they wouldn't ask more questions if she acted like it wasn't a horrifying experience. There was a long pause before Charles cautiously looked up and spoke again, choosing his words very carefully.

"Would you allow me look into your mind and see if we can decipher who you are?" He asked, watching her body language carefully as she thought it over, shifting in her seat. Butterflies rose up into her throat, and before she really thought about it she heard herself agreeing to it. Charles smiled kindly at their agreement.

"Just calm your mind, relax, and concentrate on what you remember. I will do the rest," he said, raising his hands to her temples.

She took a deep breath, and tried to ignore her apprehension. She closed her eyes and felt a rush as Charles swept through her memories.

* * *

All of a sudden, she started to feel dizzy and suddenly she lurched forward. When she opened her eyes, she found herself halfway out of her chair, and Charles holding her by the shoulders. Scott helped her back to a chair, gently, and when she looked at Charles, his expression was somber. He nodded to Scott, who rose to his feet. It was just then that she realized that Hank was already gone. Charles wheeled back around his desk, his fingers tented in deep thought. He looked over to her and tipped his head in a sympathetic gesture.

"'I'm very sorry for all that those people did to you. We will protect you if you want us to. You are welcome here indefinitely." She looked a bit confused, and relieved at once.

"That's all?" she asked. "Did you find what you were looking for?" He looked very sad and a bit angry.

"I found a great deal of mistreatment done to you, and sadly it's not the first time I've seen such abuses," he told her. She was a bit shocked by the news.

"How many others are like me?" she asked, her throat feeling tight.

"One of our group has been through some very similar mistreatment, though his abuses were unbelievably, worse than you've been subjected to so far," He replied, steel in his eyes. She got the sudden impression that even though this man was quite gentle and kind hearted, he too could have a sharp edge to him.

She vaguely wondered if it was a trait all mutants were born with, or one they were forced to develop over time. She also wondered what they'd done to their team mate that was so horrid that the memory of it caused this sweet man to look so hard. Just then, Jean came in to show her around.

"I found a room for you. You're just down the hall from me if you need anything. It's a quieter area of the teacher's wing," She said to K, smiling as she walked to her. K's throat wasn't working right, and she grimly nodded to the professor in thanks, unable to speak for some reason. She stood and quietly followed Jean out of Charles' office.

* * *

The hallways were filled with teenagers. Noisy, laughing – acting like normal kids, teenagers. K watched them warily, surprised at the sheer volume of them. She automatically scanned the crowd as she and Jean passed through it, relief hit her as she spotted the two girls, Chloe and Zoe.

"Wait a minute, Jean," K requested quietly before calling out to the girls. Their heads popped up automatically at the sound of her voice, searching the crowd, but not seeing her until she was nearly on top of them. Their faces were of pure shock.

"K?" Chloe asked, turning her head to the side, her face scrunched up. "You look so – _different_!" Her smile was growing as she stared at her protector.

"Different?" Zoe asked looking at her properly. "Why isn't your face fixed?" she asked, smiling to herself on seeing the diminutive woman all cleaned up.

"The collar she has on is stopping her abilities from working, girls," Jean cut in. "You can talk later – you have a class to get to, don't you? Professor Munroe doesn't tolerate tardiness." The two girls shared a look with wide eyes before clutching their books closer to their chests.

"Of course, Ms. Summers," Zoe said, looking at the ground. "See you later, K." She spared K a grin before the girls turned and ran to their next class.

"That is so weird," K said, sounding almost like she was in a daze as she watched them turn into a classroom.

"What's weird?" Jean asked her.

"All of it," She replied frankly. Jean just laughed at her, teasing that she knew the girls would react that way to her as they continued their walk to her new lodging.

* * *

The room Jean set her up in was far removed from all but one room, and was indeed a few doors down from Jean and Scott. The only other resident even remotely nearby was directly across the hall. She named off who was where, telling her that she'd meet most of them at dinner later that night, and glossed over her cross the hall neighbor.

"Who's over there?" K asked her, wondering why she'd left out the one person she'd probably have to see from time to time.

"That's Logan's room. I'll introduce you when he gets back. He's involved in several different teams in addition to being on the senior X-Men's team. We never know when he's going to be here, and when he is, he usually keeps to himself," She explained with a dismissive wave.

K just nodded, with a little smirk. _Looks like I'm in the outsiders zone. Good,_ she thought.

Jean left her to settle in after showing her the finer points of the room, and promising to take her out for clothes and all the little things women like to have around for their hair and makeup. Introductions were slated to happen at dinner, and Jean had told her that with a little luck, their tech expert should be there before the end of the week.

The room K found herself assigned to was nice. It was a suite, really - private bathroom, balcony, walk in closet and a nice large bed. The only thing missing was the little things she'd need to keep clean There was little in the bathroom aside from some bar soap.

It looked like Jean was right, a shopping trip would be in order. She hoped that they'd be able to get it done soon, seeing as once she was clean, she preferred to stay that way, though already she wasn't sure how wise it would be to stay at this place. Surely, they'd be looking for her soon, and she didn't want all those teenagers in anyone's crosshairs. She laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling when there was a knock at the door.

"It's open," K called out,as she picked her head up to see who entered. The door creaked open to reveal a very pretty brunette girl with curly hair.

"Hi, K - I'm Kitty ... Jean told me to bring you down for dinner?" She told her, smiling. K nodded and sat up.

"Nice to meet you. Sorry ... it's ... been a while since I slept in a bed," K replied as she stood up. Kitty gasped and her hand flew to cover her mouth.

"They didn't get the collar off?" She asked, her face a mixture of surprise and pity.

"Nope."

"Well, you can sit by me, if you'd like. I'll point out everyone before we get formal on you," Kitty told her with a smile. K just nodded back, her eyes on the floor. She couldn't take all the kind gestures. Kitty didn't try to grab her arm as she guided her to the dining room. She had to wonder if Jean had warned her to keep her hands to herself. When they got down to the dining room, K was pleasantly surprised at the entire feel of the room .. of course it matched the rest of the stately house. Classy and upscale without being over the top – though the congregation of adults within it was much more of a hodge podge.

K and Kitty sat at a long dining room table, facing the windows, and the view was lovely. A forest was visible a fair distance out past a well manicured rolling lawn. K stared out at it somewhat longingly, thinking of the quiet she always found in the woods. Kitty whispered to her who everyone was as they filed in, all curious at the new woman at the table, but tactful enough, or experienced enough for most to not stare at her outright. After they'd all gotten dinner well underway, Scott made to introduce the newcomer.

"Alright guys, I'd like to introduce you to K. She's not sure if she's going to stay, but she will be here at the very least until Forge gets back to remove the inhibitor she's stuck with. You know the drill." All at once, they started going down the line, introducing themselves, and doing their best to sound both welcoming and encouraging. The chatter went on for a while, and she just stared off into the woods until the red eyed man that went by Remy looked across the table to her and whispered as he reached across, covering her hand with his.

"Don't fret, chere - we all been caught up wit dem collas once or twice," he winked, and K tightened the corner of her mouth, not really meeting his gaze. After the conversation started to die out, she excused herself and headed up to go to bed early. She didn't feel much like socializing, and she simply was not used to being around so many people at one time. She was only two steps up when Jean and Kitty gathered at the bottom of the stairs with two other gorgeous women.

"I thought we'd do a little shopping for you tonight? Some essentials?" Jean beamed at her. K just nodded, and replied with a soft '_alright_' as she turned to follow them. She didn't feel like she belonged in the same zip code as these women seeing as they looked like they'd walked off a fashion billboard and it was just this morning K had finally gotten the twigs and mud out of her hair.

She was suddenly feeling a bit woozy as they walked towards the garage. She stopped and put her hand against the wall to steady herself, frowning at the floor before she looked hard at the women chatting and planning before she straightened herself up and called them to a stop. They all froze in their tracks and turned slowly to listen.

"Ladies, I'm sorry, I just don't think I'm up to this right now." K said, her eyes to the ground as she shook her head a little.

"I'd love something to wear other than these sweats, but to be honest. I hate shopping. Like, I'd rather go back into some lab's testing division than spend time at the mall," K admitted. The ladies all looked a little shocked at her candid confession.

"Well, we can work around that," Betsy chimed in. "Give us your sizes, and we'll just pick some things out for you." She had a smile on her lips that was a bit too wicked to be friendly as she said it.

"You know ... if you guys would do that for me, I'd really appreciate it," K said, looking tired suddenly.

"You really want to trust us like that?" Rogue asked, the shock in her tone was obvious.

"Better you than me, far as I'm concerned. Honestly. I don't care as long as I have some jeans and a few t-shirts and something for a layer or two. The rest doesn't matter," K said thickly. She felt heavier as the conversation went on.

"Alright then. We'll go take care of it. I've got your sizes," Jean said in return, a tiny frown on her delicate features. "While we're gone, I'll have Bobby show you around."

K breathed a sigh of relief. No shopping. It was a good thing too, she didn't think she'd be able to make it through a store with them. They looked like marathon shoppers and she was more of a 'know what you came for get it and run' type of shopper. K followed Jean to the living room where Bobby was watching the sports review with Remy and Scott.

"Bobby, we're going out for a few hours ... would you please show her around?" Jean asked sweetly.

"Sure, no problem," he said with a kind smile as he hopped up from the couch. He offered his arm and they started off his tour, going the opposite way as Jean.

K had started to feel very dizzy as they approached the last stop - the game room, and from two rooms down she could hear the pool game in progress. There was some serious trash talking going on from Remy and a gravely voice that she hadn't heard yet. As they entered the room, the game stopped and Remy shouted out a friendly greeting in French.

"Looks like things are pretty serious in here," Bobby said. "We can come back later." The two of them turned, but didn't get more than two steps before Mr. Gravel and Smoke threw in his two cents.

"Oh, Come on, popsicle. Aren'tcha gonna introduce me to yer lady friend?" the bulky little stranger growled out, his back still to them.

"Um, sure. You're going to meet her sooner or later. K, this is Logan. He must have just gotten back. Logan, K here was picked up a few days ago. She's actually trusting the girls to shop for her," he laughed. Logan turned around after he set his cue down and looked her over from across the room, chewing on his cigar, hand on his hip.

"Don't hide yer face, girl. Look up." Logan half barked at her.

_Who the hell do you think you are?_ K thought to herself, but her mind and body weren't in synch and instead, she automatically did as he told her to, straightening up more and tipping her chin up as he took a few steps closer. When she did as he'd asked, his expression softened for a second, then went very hard as he narrowed his eyes at the collar on her neck.

"Why the hell hasn't Hank gotten that damn thing off her?" He asked, and edge to his voice that wasn't there before.

"New model," Remy answered."He don' have de key, and it shock 'er sometin' awful. Hank even tink it have some needles wit drugs in dem."

Logan walked the rest of the way over to her, and reached out to touch the collar, K pulled back a bit automatically and he stopped in his tracks, a deep frown on his features at her reaction.

"I won't hurt ya, girl," he grumped, looking her in the eyes, narrowing his as he looked her over properly. He tilted his head a little, then his hand drifted from the collar to her jawline, his thumb brushing the hair out of her bruised face. Gently he tipped her chin upwards a little assessing her injuries while his eyebrows knitted together.

"Rifle butt?" he asked gently. K dipped her chin down a touch with a soft '_mm hmm_' in response. He turned her head in his hands and pulled the hair off her neck before stepping closer and leaning in to take a deep sniff as her chin drifted down again. Bobby and Remy shared a look and Remy smirked as Bobby shifted uncomfortably.

"Logan, what the hell are you doing?" Bobby asked, as he looked at him strangely. Logan dipped his head down to try and get her to look him in the eyes.

"Hank's right. There are drugs in there, and it's rigged to blow." He searched her face, frowning more when she didn't even try to meet his stare. "You feelin' alright?"

"M'tired, I guess," She mumbled. He nodded then he gently tipped her face up to look at him again. She looked like she was staring to slump.

"Bobby, get Hank. Now. Girl, your eyes are glassy,"Logan said, in a more stern tone. K just nodded lightly as her eyes started to drift shut. Then the room moved, without thinking she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Easy there, darlin'," Logan said, catching her by her arms as she started to slide to the floor. When she didn't respond to him, he knew something was going wrong fast.

"Damnit. Forget it Bobby, I'm takin' her down myself Get the damn door," He barked. He scooped her up and started to run. K tied to pick up her head but it was swimming and her eyes wouldn't focus. Her head lolled on her shoulders. Nothing seemed to be working right for her and it was easier to take the jostling when she just closed her eyes and didn't fight it.

"Stay with me now," Logan said low to her. But to K, he sounded far off. Fuzzy. He said something else but it sounded jumbled. She couldn't make it out and she started to feel as if she was floating. Her eyes drifted shut and the shouting started.


	4. Surprises

_nekochan &amp; KJAX89 - thanks for the comments, so very glad to have you with me._

* * *

Logan skipped the elevator opting for the stairs to rush her to the lab. At first K's head lolled, her arms limp. He practically jumped down the stairwell, clutching her little frame tightly to him. Bobby followed, relaying to Hank on a com link what was happening and what Logan had suspected. Remy rushed ahead to be sure the doors were open once Logan reached the bottom.

All at once she went rigid, and he very nearly almost dropped her. He paused, taking a knee as he readjusted his grip on her before he finally opted to toss her over his shoulder when she went limp again. He just hoped she wouldn't tense up again. As he passed Remy at a dead run towards the lab, he felt a sharp pain in his back that shocked him to his core.

"What the hell?" he half shouted as he went down. He tried to keep her from hitting her head, cushioning her fall with his hands as he tumbled over her. Remy ran to them, swearing loudly in French as he tried to pull K from Logan. She was blind and swinging in a panic.

Logan dodged back in towards her and pinned her to the ground. He grappled at her hands as Bobby ran for Hank.

He managed to get one arm pinned as she struggled and screamed, fighting like a little wild cat when she stabbed him in the side inadvertently while her arm flung around. He cried out then gritted his teeth, grasping her wrist before she could twist it or take another shot. He pulled her arm from his side straight out and wrestled her hands above her head.

Once he'd pinned her solidly she really started to struggle. Her head whipped back and forth. She tried bucking him off of her while the whole time she vacillated between screams and a very mumbled "no". He knew all at once that this wasn't the first time someone had pinned her down like this. And whoever had done it before hadn't listened to her pleas to stop.

Logan was grim. He looked to her pinned arms and took a deep breath to steady himself.

This girl had claws.

Remy let out a low whistle when he saw the damage she'd done to Logan. Though the bleeding had already stopped, She'd stuck him good. He had blood all down one leg of his jeans, and his shirt was soaked where she'd got him in the side. He slid himself down to sit more on her legs when she tried to pull a leg around his neck.

Hank came out of the lab in a rush.

"Oh, dear," Hank mumbled as he watched the woman's thrashing start to slow, her breaths coming in fast and shallow and her heart racing quick little beats. Logan had just opened his mouth to ask Hank about the girl's claws when the collar started beeping.

"Shit," Logan muttered as Hank skidded to their side. He used a syringe of something to counteract what he'd suspected as a common horse tranquilizer. He stuck the needle in her arm and depressed the plunger while Logan held her fast, unsure of what her reaction would be. Within a few seconds, K relaxed. Her breathing evened out and her heart found a more normal pace. Another minute later and beeping stopped.

Hank started her IV and pulled some blood from her other arm as Logan kept a hold on her.

"Can you get her to a gurney?" Hank asked. Logan just nodded in response before he moved off of her and kneeled next to her before he gently picked her up.

"Did you know about the claws, Blue?" Logan asked, a concerned look on his face.

"No. I suspected, but I didn't know for sure. Are you alright?" Hank asked as he looked at the blood on his friend.

"I'm fine," Logan grumped. "Just be sure you watch out for her hands if you see her go stiff."

"I'm quite versed in that, my friend." Hank said seriously as Logan laid her down on a gurney.

Working very quickly, Hank stripped her down and slipped her into a hospital gown while Logan stood guard nearby, ready to restrain her again if necessary. He found himself kind of wishing she'd fight while Hank redressed her, but she just laid there limply.

As soon as she was dressed in the hospital gown, Hank brought out a set of restraints. Logan felt a sudden protective urge as Hank slipped the woman's hands into the restraints and tightened them. Anger began to rise up when Hank repeated the process with her feet as well. Frowning, he simply couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

"You really gotta tie her feet down too, Hank?" Logan half growled out.

"I know you have an aversion to restraints, Logan, but after hearing about her try to take your head off, yes, I believe it's a prudent move." Hank told him over his half moon glasses just as he shortened the restraints further.

Logan's mouth tightened as he watched the sleeping woman. So, if what Remy said was right ... this was the one that they'd pulled from a black ops group. He didn't have to think too hard imagining what they'd wanted her for. He walked to a cabinet and pulled out a blanket. He brought it to her and covered her with it before he flipped off the light over her head and pulled up a chair. He was prepared to sit with her for the rest of the night. Just to keep watch.

"You can go anytime, Logan. I don't think she'll give me any trouble when she wakes," Hank reassured him. Logan just grunted in response and put his boots up on an adjacent chair ... the clear signal that he wasn't goin' anywhere.

_Like hell._ He thought to himself. He didn't know where this woman came from, but he knew a kindred spirit when he saw one. He decided to ask Jean about K when she returned.

When Jean came in to the lab the next morning, Logan was lightly asleep in the chair next to K, his feet propped up and his arms crossed over his chest. She tried to be as quiet as possible when she checked over K's vital signs. Hank had told her what had happened when she and the other women came back from their shopping trip and the read out of K's blood work came back with evidence of a very heavy dose of Acepromazine, the horse tranquilizer that Hank had correctly guessed was being used. As she turned the page of the report, she was startled by Logan.

"Where did they find her, Jeannie?" Logan asked as he tipped back his cowboy hat and readjusted his legs.

"Northern Wisconsin," She answered softly, her hand over her heart as she tried to recover from the start he gave her. "She was being dragged into an unmarked van when Scott's team intervened."

"Ya know who's after her?" he asked, his eyes narrowed.

"We have a pretty good idea, but we're not certain." She replied, readjusting K's IV feed.

"Should I guess?" he asked as he moved to stand.

"I don't think you have to, Logan. Your guess is as good as ours. Maybe better." Jean said looking serious.

He turned his attention to the woman in the bed. She seemed peaceful, if not for her clenched fists. He sighed and turned back to Jean.

"They'll come looking for her." He started to say. "If they went so far as to drug her, they'll have GPS and be looking to recover." Jean's face went a bit pale before her eyes narrowed and she pursed her mouth.

"They better not. We'll be ready for them if they do." She said "What they've done to her already ….."

"What did they do?" Logan asked quickly as he nearly cut her off. Jean stopped and took a moment to look in his eyes, trying to read his motives before she answered slowly.

"From what I saw, many of the same experiments they did on you, only there was some abuses to her that I just couldn't watch. I think she's blocked out a lot," she said sadly. "I know you've tried to stop them ... but ..." she let her sentiment drift off as he grimly turned toward K's sleeping form.

He watched her a moment longer as Jean watched him before she put her hand on his shoulder and tipped her head to the side. She pulled on his shirt, examining the bloodstains.

"How did this happen?" she asked – an obvious effort to change the subject as she looked at all the dried blood on his clothes.

"She stabbed me," he said simply, still looking at the sleeping K. Jean took a step closer and found the holes in his shirt where her claws had gone through.

"Lucky you can heal so quickly," she said, brows wrinkled as she assessed him, a little disturbed that he hadn't made a pass at her when she was that close, her hands on his torso. "If it was anyone else, they'd be dead. She got your kidneys, looks like maybe liver too?" she asked. He nodded his head, still not looking at the red head.

"Nicked my diaphragm. Was awful hard to breathe for a minute there. Fixing a kidney is no picnic either," he said, never taking his eyes off the girl. "What gets me is that she was swingin' blind. Her eyes were closed, but either hit on someone else would have done more than just put 'em in the hospital."

"You think she has training?" Jean asked him, her eyebrows raised high on her head.

"Maybe. Damn good instincts anyhow," Logan said. It shocked Jean. It was rare for anyone to get such a high complement from the feisty Canadian.

"Go change. Wash up. Hank and I are here, we got this," She told him and he waited a moment before finally, he nodded his head and turned to leave. Why was it so hard for him to walk away? He wanted to go to her before he left … and do what? He shook his head as he looked back at her from the door to the med bay just before he went to his room to clean up. Best to forget it until K woke up when he could get a chance to really question her.

* * *

Hank hung a sign in the door to the med lab that morning that read _NO VISITORS_ after seeing how violent K had reacted the night before. Without knowing how much of the drug remained in the inhibitor collar, he decided to just keep well wishers safe and far away.

Forge arrived late morning and Scott walked with him to the lab, filling him in as they went on the happenings so far with the woman they'd pulled out of the north woods. Forge read over the reports from both the extraction and last night's mess when he slowed to a stop in the hall. Scott had to stop and turn to look at him, curious as to what had the tall Native American stopped.

"What's this?" he asked as he read the part about the beeping. His eyes locked on Scotts as he continued. "When did they start using drugs, and what was it beeping for?" Scott couldn't answer anything though. Alarmed, Forge rushed passed him to the lab the rest of the way and nearly ran into a returning Logan as he got to the doors.

"You were involved last night," Forge said enthusiastically as he grabbed Logan by the shoulders "Tell me everything." Logan shrugged him off and took a step back but relayed the whole fiasco. As Logan finished telling him what happened, Forge hurried to K's bed, and started examining the collar.

"You said it's rigged," Forge said as he looked at Logan."What do you smell?" Logan let out a breath and looked Forge in the eyes before he answered.

"C4," Logan replied. He looked grim at the implications. Forge froze, his fingers barely touched the collar.

"We have to get his off her NOW," he said at nearly a whisper. He tried to gently pull her forward to look at the back of it, but the restraints stopped him. "Logan, help me." Forge requested as he untied her. Logan worked quickly as he freed one of her arms, then sat on the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her near her elbows in case she woke up swinging again. It was a simple and effective way to pin her arms. He leaned back, taking her with him as Forge lifted up her hair and looked at the collar closely.

"Alright, set her back down," he directed. As soon as she was back in the bed properly, Forge quickly put the restraints back in place. Logan frowned at the action. Forge glanced around the lab and called for Hank. He asked for all different forms of odd equipment as Hank led Forge off to an adjacent lab and the two of them got to work. He was sure that in a day or so he'd have the means to safely remove the collar, but his suspicion was that if he could get it quicker, they'd be better off.

The next day, she finally woke up – groggy and worn.

She was not surprised at all to find herself back in the lab with the good doctor. In fact, she was more surprised that she woke up at all. Her body felt heavy and her head was loopy. She sleepily blinked and tried to raise her hand to her eyes. The restraint hit her and she tensed for just a second, her heart automatically jumping pace before she simply gave up. She tried the other hand and dropped her head back into the pillows.

She should have known that even these people couldn't trust her. She tried to reposition herself in the bed, but really couldn't get far with her feet tied. That really got her down. The last time she'd been tied up this tightly _No,_ she thought to herself. _God, Don't think about that._

"Ah, the patient awakes!" Hank said as he smiled at her, startling her out of her morbid thoughts.

"How long have I been out this time?" she slurred out. Concerned with her tone, he leaned towards her, shining a light in her eyes as he tipped her head back to examine her thoroughly.

"You have been unconscious for approximately 36 hours," He replied as he continued his examination.

"WHAT?" she replied, clearly shocked with panic rising up in her, the fog didn't yet want to truly lift from her mind. Sighing, he looked at her seriously as he took a seat next to her on her bed.

"Yes. You were brought into my lab 36 hours ago by Logan. He'd made an entirely correct assumption that the inhibitor you are wearing had delivered a near fatal dose of a horse tranquilizer. You reacted badly to it, stabbing him while he tried to get you here." She looked horrified as he continued. "Forge has assessed the collar and between he and Logan, they've deduced that we are facing an eminent problem. Forge plans to try to remove the collar this afternoon, if you feel up to it." He looked at her reassuringly and patted her knee as he prepared to stand. But the source of her horrified expression was not something that Henry had prepared for.

"I stabbed him?" K asked, her face clearly pained. Henry paused and sat back down, concentrating on her face as she looked a bit green.

"Yes, but he's quite alright now. He has a regenerative healing ability. Had anyone else tried to carry you here, they would likely be sharing the lab in a bed next to you, or worse. Your aim was quite spectacular," he said. Her stomach felt like lead as she stared down at her knees.

"Are the restraints necessary?" she asked in a quiet, sad voice as she trembled slightly. He sighed before answering her. It was clear that all these measures were weighing on her and were quite detrimental to her mental well being.

"I'm afraid so. Until we know that the collar is out of the drugs, and that it's not in your system, we cannot trust that you will not unknowingly react in such a manner again." His tone was warm and consoling, but it didn't help her much. She nodded, looking positively tiny as she dropped her head back into the pillows and Henry rose to his feet. He made it less than five yards from her bed when she called out to him.

"Can you please tell him I'm sorry?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears.

"My dear, you can tell him yourself. He's agreed to assist if needed while Forge removes the collar. Both will be here within the hour," Hank told her, returning to grasp her hand gently. "You could have mentioned the claws though, K. You're not the only mutant we've seen with them." She wrinkled her brow at him but, as always, he was kind in his tone before he went back to his microscopes. Not the only clawed mutant? That was surprising. She thought she was unique by the way that the lab rats had talked about her.

"Henry," she said sounding miserable, stopping him before he'd gone too far. "Can you please scratch my nose?" He smiled warmly and returned, more than happy to help her as she sleepily snuggled back down into the pillow. May as well try to sleep before they tried to release her. If they managed to get her out of it ... she would have to run sooner rather than later.

When she woke up again it was to the sound of men talking around her. Automatically, her heart began to race and she pulled at her restraints as panic hit her. Hank's hand touched her shoulder as he silently reminded her of where she was. She stopped pulling, but her heart still didn't want to slow. She knew she was in trouble. She looked around and was surprised at the tall Native American with a metal arm. He smiled at her kindly and made sure to introduce himself before explaining the process they were going to use while her eyes drifted to a massive tray of gadgets nearby.

She looked around the room and was surprised to find that Hank was standing behind a clear plastic barrier, as was a woman doctor she hadn't met yet. When she looked closer at Forge, she realized he had on what looked to be bomb squad gear, complete with the heavy plated reinforcements that covered his neck. She looked to Logan and saw no such precautions. He was the only one that either wasn't concerned about an explosion, or didn't care. She was feeling less and less good about what was about to happen.

The first thing Forge attempted seemed like it did nothing. He waved a metal device over the collar, and apparently the lights on it changed color, but then her jaw locked up and her back arched as the device electrocuted her. A few seconds later, she was lying limp in the bed, ears ringing and blood coming out her nose. The woman doctor rushed in, cleaned her up and checked her eyes and ears before taking note of her vitals. Forge and Logan looked grim as Forge made an adjustment to the device.

K still couldn't hear anything, but watched as Forge mouthed that they would try again now, if she was ready. She nodded her head numbly and this time after he tried the device, she felt as though she'd been kicked in the chest by a mule before all went black.

She woke up gasping to beeping as Hank stood over her with paddles in his hands looking serious.

The men looked at each other a moment as she sputtered and coughed, gasping for air, her body aching terribly. Hank sat down heavily in the chair near her in silence. K looked at him as he sighed and she simply laid back into the pillows again.

"It's pretty obvious this isn't working. Would it be too much to ask if I can I please just go outside now?" she asked wearily. Hank shook his head sadly at her.

"We can't take a chance at you getting hurt further or something going wrong with the inhibitor, my dear," he replied as he took her hand in his.

"Henry. We all know it's not coming off. It'll kill me first. And that's alright. Just, let me die in the woods at least,"she told him as she forced a soft smile. "You have no obligation to me. None of you. What you do have though is some nice trees. It's not home, but it'll do in a pinch. It's OK. You tried. You did all you could. It's over." He looked torn as he finally nodded his head and moved to release her from her restraints. Logan looked fit to be tied.

"Jean had brought down some clothes for you the morning after Logan brought you in," Henry said to her as the woman assisting him brought her a stack of clothes

"Thanks," K nodded and immediately started to change before they could close the curtain around her. "I hope she kept the receipts for the rest. Doesn't look like I need more than this." The men shared a horrified look. She knew she was likely going outside to die - and she was joking about it. It wasn't long before their uncomfortable silence was interrupted when she realized she needed a hand, her body still ached from the shocks and being in bed for so long.

"Dr. um … lady doc?" K called out quietly. Everyone went still at the sound of her voice. "I think I need a little help. I can't move very well." The lady doc straightened out and rushed to her.

"You can call me Celia," she said as she stepped behind the curtain to help her balance to get dressed. The men all looked varying stages of upset as the sounds of the two women echoed the silent lab. Once K was mostly clothed, Celia pulled back the curtain as K's bare feet touched the ground.

When she tried to stand, she wobbled badly. "I'm afraid you may still have the ace in your system, K. I'm not sure you should go," Hank said as she leveled her eyes at him, pleadingly. "There may be something else we can do. Something ... give me a few more days." Clearly, Henry wasn't as ready to give up as he'd first let on. But K shook her head slowly.

"Let me go. It's time," K replied. But Henry was shaking his head already, digging for some different method of restraints in the storage closet.

Logan couldn't take it. He stepped up to her suddenly, nearly knocking her back to the bed as he pulled her hair out of the way. He leaned in and sniffed her neck again before turning to Hank.

"She's clean Henry. Drugs are burned out. Let her go," Logan said roughly. Hank wrinkled his brow. It wasn't like Logan to give up so easily.

"Logan, I'm not sure that's the best ..."Hank started, but Logan was feeling impatient and cut him off with a wave.

"Damn it, we all know that if you could get the damn thing off - it'd be off. She wants out. She's goin' out. I'll take her if it makes ya feel better," he growled out. Hank considered it for a moment before nodding in agreement. He wondered for a second if that wasn't precisely what Logan wanted.

"That's ... actually a fine idea," Hank replied. Logan's shoulders seemed to relax a hair as he offered K his arm to balance. She looked up at him warily but nodded her head before releasing the railing on the bed. She only made it a few wobbly steps before her knees buckled, and he amended himself, wrapping his arm around her waist. She put her hand on the one he had resting on her hip and wrapped her arm across his broad shoulders as they made their way outside.

She waited until they were well out of the house and nearly to the woods before she made a point to clear her conscience.

"I'm sorry," she said to him suddenly, her voice small.

"Fer what?" he asked with a frown.

"I, uh. I hurt you the other day. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry," she mumbled. "Not the best way to make friends ... stabbing them." His face relaxed a hair and he stared forward resolutely.

"You didn't hurt me. I'm fine," he replied, tersely. She looked at his face as they walked. Then it hit her. She couldn't believe she didn't pull it together quicker. He was the reason Hank had asked about the claws.

"You're the one," she started out, making him squirm a bit. "You're the other one that has claws. Hank said you could heal ... I should have known."

He cleared his throat, uncomfortable but nodded once as they made it into the treeline. She watched him try to not look at her as he all but carried her deeper into the trees.

"I'm still sorry for stabbing you. Even if you are all healed up, it hurt at the time," she said, her face tipped down before she looked back to the path ahead. Logan almost missed a step at her words and did a bit of a double take.

His whole long life, everyone around him had always brushed over the fact that even though he healed, the pain was intense when the injury happened, and even after it was healed, he often was sore. This woman understood that much at the very least. His realization had his mind racing.

They continued to walk until they came to one of Logan's favorite clearings. It was off the beaten path, and as far as he knew, no one else at Xaviers knew where it was. He helped her to take a seat on a mossy log then sat a few paces away from her letting her breathe for a moment. He gave her space ... something that if he was in her shoes, he would certainly have wanted. They sat there silent and still until the little sounds of the forest came back. Only a few minutes after that did she say anything, and even then, she was incredibly quiet.

"Do you hear it humming?" she asked, turning to look at him. They finally met eyes and he just nodded. "It's going to blow up, isn't it?" It was more of a statement than a question. He broke eye contact and kicked a rock, his eyes on his feet before breathing out a quiet answer.

"Yeah, seems like it," he replied softly before he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. From the corner of his eye he watched her smile the tiniest bit.

"You don't have to stick around, you know," she said, forcing a tiny smile. "It'll be fine. Save yourself the trouble of healing. I promise I'll just stay right here. It really is a pretty spot." He shook his head and moved to sit closer to her, his hand on her knee.

"Sorry, beautiful – you really shouldn't be out here alone until we can get it offa ya," he said to her. She just laughed a little, and shook her head.

"You're not going to get it off without hurting someone or taking my head with it. Or both," she turned to look at him squarely. "Which was probably the whole point of it. It's fine. I'm OK with it. It's better than the alternative. So – go back to your family. One way or another, I won't be too long." She smiled sadly at him and squeezed his thigh just over his knee. "I'm not worth all the trouble." She bit her lip and let out a sigh as she watched the dust float in the afternoon sunbeams. He frowned at her willingness to just give up that quickly. _He_ didn't want to give up on her. Not yet. Not unless he had to ... and he still had something he wanted to try.

"Like hell you're not worth it," he said before he moved to squat down in front of her. He looked her in the eyes as he leaned toward her, his hands on her knees for a moment. She looked at him wide eyed as he leaned closer. Without any further warning, his hands moved to slide into her hair at the sides of her head and he pulled her into a searing kiss. Her hands floated up to his shoulders and clenched the fabric there as one of his hands slid down her back, holding her tightly to him while he pulled her up to standing with him.

When he broke the kiss, her eyes were wide, her expression was one of shock, and both were out of breath. Gently he cradled her head and as they stood close his expression changed.

"Don't move, you hear me? Don't. Move," he said to her as she blinked away the fog in her head from the unexpected kiss.

As she looked into his eyes, his face hardened and she heard a metallic sound from his free hand. Her heart jumped to her throat and she tried to turn her head a bit to see what it was, but he had a solid hold on the back of her skull. From the corner of her eye, she saw a single metallic claw protruding from his hand as it moved towards her neck. Panic rose fast as she realized he meant to use it on her.

"Wait!" she gasped as she looked between his hard eyes and the claw. "What are you doing? I'm not ready yet … just give me a few more minutes … not yet, please!" Her voice was shaking as she begged him to stop. She began to tremble as he moved his hand to her, apparently ignoring her pleas. Her heart was hammering in her chest. She was frozen, fully expecting him to simply put her out of her misery. Her hands were resting on his arm that held her head, not even thinking about trying to stop the one with the claw rapidly approaching her very much non-healing throat - terrified that an attempt to stop him would only result in a more painful end.

Just before he positioned the claw, he took a steadying breath and urged her to look at him. "Trust me," he said, his voice stone cold serious and calm. Soothing even. "K, honey. This is important. Look in my eyes and whatever you do - Don't. Move. I promise - I won't hurt you." A tear ran down her cheek as she took a deep breath and held it. She looked into his icy blues but instead of anything treacherous, she saw only calm confidence and concentration.

She closed her eyes, and bit her bottom lip and winced as Logan slid the claw between her neck and the collar. In a fast, smooth, seamless move he cut through the collar, retracted the claw and used both of his hands to wrench it from her neck before he quickly flung it away from them. It beeped twice as Logan tackled her to the ground. He barely covered her body with his before the collar exploded.

Debris rained down on them – nothing major. Bits of the collar, leaves and small twigs. When K opened her eyes, Logan had his closed with a grimace on his face. His body was tense as he tried to keep his weight off of her. K blinked a couple of times as she realized that he wasn't moving.

"Logan – you ... got it off." He only groaned in response and she stiffened up again, knowing that he'd gotten injured. "What happened? Please, let me see," she said as she wriggled beneath him in an attempt to get out from under him while he pushed her into the thick moss.

He held his breath and readjusted his weight onto one arm before he reached behind him to pull out a chunk of the collar with a quick jerk and a little groan. It was a rather large chunk that had embedded itself into his lower back and as soon as it was out, the blood began to flow freely. His whole body relaxed a bit and he leaned his head forward to rest it on her shoulder as he let out a breath. K could see he was clearly in pain as the blood slid down his side and dripped onto her.

"Give me a minute," he rasped out. "I just need a minute here."

She relaxed, feeling a little awkward about where to place her hands while he healed up, his body barely touching hers as he breathed. After a few minutes he lifted his head and sighed tiredly as he focused on her face.

"Your bruises are gone already," he observed as one eyebrow rose in question as he inspected her face.

"Yeah, should be. But never mind that. How's your back?" she asked, as she slid one hand down his side and the other up his chest to rest at his shoulder. She blatantly ignored the questioning look he was giving her.

"I'll live," he said as he watched her hand out of the corner of his eye, suddenly a hair wary of her.

"So, that's twice you've saved my ass," she started with a little shy smile. "How do I thank you?"

He smirked down at her and hesitated just a moment before he simply leaned forward for a kiss that turned heated quickly.

By the time he broke the kiss, one of his hands had traveled up her shirt, and one of her legs had hitched over his hip. Her arms were snugly around him and both of them were breathing heavily as he repositioned himself between her knees. He smiled a little bit at her as he took in the flush of her cheeks and her increased respiration.

"How 'bout you take a ride with me tonight?" he said, sounding entirely too full of himself.

"I, ah ... I think I'm busy," K replied with a totally straight face. His smile disappeared and was quickly replaced by a frown as he studied her. He started to pull his hand out of her shirt when the smirk stretched into a smile across her face as she wrapped her other leg around him and pulled him closer.

"Or not," she said as she slipped her hand into his hair and pulled him down for another kiss. She could feel him smiling as the kiss continued, and before it could go further, she started to smile too. He stole one more quick kiss before he untangled himself and got to his feet. He offered her his hand and pulled her up to standing. Once she was solidly on her feet, he cradled her face in his hand and looked at her now that the bruising was all gone. He was studying her carefully and very openly.

The light was just right and the sun caught her at an angle perfectly across her eyes. It made her deep chocolate brown eyes glow nearly golden in the evening light. She felt very self conscious as he inspected her so carefully. Just when she was ready to pull away from him, he rested his hand on her hip and stepped into her, starting another kiss, unable to stop himself.

"How about you meet me out front in an hour?" He said as he broke the kiss. She nodded her head and licked her lips. She drew her teeth over her bottom lip as she looked up at him. When they met eyes, he realized quickly that he had to take control of the situation ... or if he had his way, they'd never make it to the mansion, let alone a date. With a deep breath, he leaned back. She watched him questioningly for a second, wondering if she'd done something wrong.

He shoved his hands in his back pockets as he stepped backwards. He quickly busied himself with looking around the clearing for pieces of the collar. She watched him move for a moment as her head caught up with the rest of her. He picked up the piece that was previously in his back and she hastily joined him, the two of them searched the forest floor for other pieces in silence. They found a good couple of larger pieces and left the little bits behind as Logan explained.

"Forge will want to see this." He gave her a warm, tight smile as they left the clearing. Before they made it up to the mansion, however, Jean and Kitty rushed out to them, clear worry on their faces.

"We heard the explosion - is everyone alright?" Jean asked as they met her in the lawn. _We waited a bit – it didn't seem like you needed to be disturbed_ she added mentally to K as she smiled at her. Kitty picked up the pieces in Logan's hands and took them away to give to Forge, more than ready to jump in and help in whatever way possible. Jean walked around K and looked her over carefully as she checked her for injury. She paid close attention to the spot of Logan's blood on her shirt.

"You heal as quickly as Logan, don't you?" Jean asked as she saw the larger blood stain on Logan's shirt. "What happened here? Shrapnel?" He just grunted in response before turning toward the door. He moved quickly, the crowd of students parted before him without a word. Jean turned her attention back to K. She pulled her aside as Logan went into the house, Using a look at her neck as a flimsy excuse to talk to her with Logan away.

"I'm going to warn you about him," Jean began. "He's got some serious commitment issues."

"So do I," K interjected. Jean let of a bit of a huff and simply continued.

"Have a little fun if that's what you're into, but don't expect much more than that. He just has no luck with women, and most of the time, when the fling is over, he doesn't even remember their names." She was quick and quiet in her whispered advice, but it didn't exactly sound like just friendly advice. With all that in mind, K was surprised at her warning.

"Thanks for the heads up," she replied. "But I'm not the kind of girl guys are interested in for more than a good time. I'm used to it. I don't expect anything else anymore. I'll never be the one they want to bring home to mom, if you know what I mean. Particularly if they ever figure out the whole experimental lab rat thing. Apparently, it's kind of a turn off. So don't worry about me."

Her tone was cynical and her look was as if someone had just told her that was really all she was good for. Jean instantly regretted saying something as K slipped past her, ignoring her pleas to stop. She quickly found her way to her room. She looked at Logan's' door for a moment before opening her own and slipping inside.

He was kind to her so far, and a helluva kisser. A regular alpha male to boot. Still, the redhead's advice was likely sound. There was little chance that a guy like him would want anything but a little fun from someone like her before one of them left the other standing alone. Hell. It was just a coin toss as to who would be the one to disappear.

As she turned the water on in the shower and watched it fall over her outstretched hand she reminded herself that she didn't care if that's all it was. This place was nice, but not somewhere she'd be able to stay long term. She was going to have a little fun before the running began again. But that wasn't likely to happen with a heavy ring of dirt around her neck. At least, not on her watch.

As the water warmed up she stripped out of the bloodied clothes and looked at her freshly healed face in the mirror.

_I don't hold up to those women downstairs ... but I don't look horrible anymore. Maybe when I go, I'll try red hair this time,_ she mused, wondering if she could pull the look off as a cover. Her eyes drew back to the dark dirty ring around her neck and she grimaced.

Red hair or no, she desperately wanted to wash the scent of that woman's shampoo off of her. Now that she had her senses back ... even three days out, it was far too strong of a scent for her delicate nose. Before she stepped into the shower, she went through the various bottles of elixirs on the counter top until she found one that held the faint scent of pine and sandalwood. She smiled to herself as she took the shampoo into the shower.


	5. Date Night

_KJAX, nekochan, and Cheshirecat - thanks for the reviews!_

_neko - in the comics, Logan is a totally different animal than what's in the movies and he is well known as fast and generally out for a good time, though when he falls for a girl, it's even faster._

_Cheshirecat - really, girls night out is usually boring as hell anyhow, IMHO. ;)_

* * *

K walked down the front steps of the Xavier estate for her 'date'. She paused at the bottom step when she spotted Logan leaning on his Harley lighting a cigarette.

"You ready, sweetheart?" he asked with a rumble. He stood up as she approached, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. She looked at the motorcycle, circled it, crouched down and examined it in places as he watched her with a bemused look on his face. "You're not afraid of bikes, are ya?" he asked her as his smirk widened to a little smile. She stood up and shook her head lightly with one eyebrow arched.

"No, I've just never rode on the back of one," she replied, eyeing the seat with a little frown. He grinned a little wider at the news.

"Well, I guess this'll be your first time then," he said as he anticipated having a little fun trying to scare her on the ride. She looked at him for a moment with a very serious look on her face, her brows drawn together as she lightly shook out her long brown mane.

"Oh no, you misunderstand. I've never ridden on the _back_. I used to have a pan-head until …. well." Her expression fell and her eyes remained fixed on the chrome of the engine. He paused, not quite believing her as he watched her think it through. "I used to have a pan-head," she said flatly. Suddenly she looked more sad now then when she was ready to die in the woods an hour earlier. Logan gently took her hand and pulled her closer to the bike.

"Well, come on. I suppose the back'll be better than no ride at all," he offered as he swung his leg over. He started it up and nodded for her again to hop on. With a little frown, she swung her leg over and set her hands on his hips as he put it into gear. When they turned onto the road, he opened it up – a favorite trick of his to get a girl to hold on tighter. But K just leaned into him, totally relaxed.

_Sonofabitch,_ He thought. _Girl does know something about riding a scoot._ As they went further down the road, they quickly fell into a familiar groove that surprised him. Although he was initially let down that his little trick didn't have her grabbing at him, he found it nice after a little bit to _not_ have to tell her what to do or not do as they rode.

She stayed centered with the bike as he leaned into the turns. Most of the girls he'd taken out tried to lean with him and it screwed up the fine handle he had on the scoot. K just rode. She didn't talk his ear off like damn near every woman he'd gone with either. It had him rethinking his approach to her already.

When they reached the little bar he liked to go to he smiled to himself. Now was when his date always got upset. They'd take a quick look in the mirror and get mad that their hair was messed up, or their mascara had run. Only, K didn't even peek in the mirror, wasn't wearing any make up and damned if she didn't look sexy as hell with her hair wind whipped.

All she did when she got off the bike was straighten her shirt before she lead the way into the bar as if she owned the place. He shook his head and quick stepped to catch up to her. She had to take pause as he opened the door for her with a little smirk. She returned it with a little smile and fell into place at his side as she thought he expected. She let him take the lead as he offered her his arm.

Once inside, the barkeep gave him a familiar nod and half the wait staff shouted out a hello as he led her to his favorite booth in the back corner. He loved that spot. It made it simple to easily watch the entrance, the emergency exit, and the door to the back room and bathrooms. She reluctantly took the seat he'd offered her across from him, her back to all he was watching. He raised an eyebrow when he realized that apparently she too would rather keep an eye on all the entries and exits.

"I got your back, darlin. Relax," he told her as she shifted in her seat and finally nodded. Of course he did. He'd proven that a couple times already.

When the waitress showed up, he ordered his usual and just watched his date for her reaction. The waitress asked K what she'd like but was quick to inform her that the only mixed drinks she could make were daiquiris and sex on the beach. K wrinkled her nose at the woman's assumption and ordered a Budweiser in a bottle. Logan smiled to himself and just waited for the waitress' return with the two bottles of Bud. K looked up at him strangely before she tipped her bottle back and looked around the bar. He waited until they'd killed a few bottles before starting to question her.

"So where is it you used to call home?" he asked her as she sat sideways in the booth, her back to the wall.

"North," She replied before she took another swig and met his eyes. Logan smirked. She didn't want to give up information easy.

"Wanna get a little more specific, like maybe a state?" he teased, she froze, the bottle halfway to her lips as she watched him.

"Why do you want to know?" she asked, as she set the bottle back down and looked at him squarely. "Is this fishing for Xavier, or your own interests?"

"Not fishin'. I'm just tryin' to get to know ya. That's all," He replied as he sat back. She stared at him hard for a minute as she tried to assess his motives. She decided it didn't really matter. If Jean was right, he was just chasing tail. Besides, she'd probably be gone before too long anyhow. Might be fun. It had been a while since she'd had someone to play with in bed. What would it hurt?

"Northern Michigan. West end of the UP if you want to be specific," she said as she waited for a wisecrack that often came from people outside of her home state. Logan tried to hide a smile by draining his beer. Her eyes narrowed on seeing his reaction.

"Alright. Go on – whatever smart ass thing you have to say – I've heard it before, but go ahead. Give me your best shot," She said as she waited to see how clever this guy really was.

"No, that's not it," he said with a little shake of his head as he set the bottle down and signaled the waitress for two more. "It's called the wolverine state, right?" His twinkling eyes and smirk betrayed his amusement. Her expression changed quickly. That was not at all the direction she thought it would go.

"Yeah. And?" her tone was defensive – clearly she hadn't caught the reference.

"So – that's my codename," he said, waiting for her reaction. A small smile crept up on her face as she shook her head. At least now she knew who the hell he was, though ... she didn't quite believe it. The costumed guy on screen seemed like he was a lot taller.

"Right," she said, picking up a fresh bottle. She stared at the label before she drained it in one and he studied her a moment.

"I'm not going to get you drunk, am I?" he asked her, no whisper of a buzz at all for himself.

"Not at this rate," she said before cracking a breathtaking smile, "But you're welcome to try." He finished his last without taking his eyes off her and pulled out a fifty for the waitress before standing and offering her his hand.

"C'mon. Let's get outta here," he offered. With a little shrug, she slipped out of the booth and took it. He led her out of the bar and back to the bike without another word spoken. She climbed on behind him, and they were back on the road in no time. She took in the chilly night wind with a sigh, and reveled in the scents in the air, not the least of which, the intoxicating man in front of her.

Her eyes were closed when his hands reached down and pulled hers around him tighter. She took the hint and scooted closer to him. She wrapped her arms around him as far as she could reach and pressed herself against his back. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she felt a rumble eminating from his chest as she did so.

_Reaching the end,_ She thought to herself as she leaned her head on his shoulder. They flew down the road and the bike hugged the road around the corners as he drove further into the darkness.

When they finally slowed and the tires hit gravel, she opened her eyes fully expecting to see a motel parking lot. She was a little surprised to see it was a gravel road instead. Suddenly she was far more interested and she watched where they were going as the road got rougher, and the forest began to encroach on the road. They passed a small parking/turnaround area and he downshifted as they slowed down to go around the barricade and continue on a dirt two track that was badly overgrown.

He navigated the old Milwaukee steel horse as if it were built for off road. He easily weaved around the brush and small trees that had forced their way onto the old path. The further they went, the more he had her attention until she was purely focused on every move he made.

He continued until there was a very large tree that had fallen nearly directly across the lane. He slowed the bike to a stop and turned it around so it was facing back the way they came. She started to look around the woods, wondering what he had planned so far from the civilized world. They had to be twenty miles past the parking area.

Just before he killed the headlights she closed her eyes tight, and tried to force her eyes to adjust to the low light of the deep woods. She opened them as he got off the bike and set the kickstand on a flat rock. When she looked a little closer, she saw that there was a very narrow path that he must have been using to get out here. She saw what looked almost like a game trail that led off into the woods, and she'd bet that was the way they were headed.

He offered her a hand to climb down when she hesitated, then didn't let her go. He led her down the overgrown game trail at a quick pace. They trekked for what she guessed was a good three miles before he slowed down and led her into a very quiet clearing that had a very old abandoned cabin covered with moss and vines.

He nodded towards the cabin before he closed the gap and opened the old creaking door. She could hear the little residents of the cabin as they ran for cover when they entered.

He let go of her hand once they were inside only to stride across the room. He knelt down to start a small fire in the ancient stone fireplace as she wrapped her arms around herself and cautiously listened to the noises around her. Once his fire was going really well, she took a moment to look around. The outside was really rough, but the inside was dry and it did have a table and a couple chairs. Not to mention a rug that was dusty but dry, and a bed that had clearly seen better days.

"Is this where you take all the girls to get in their pants?" She asked, eyebrow up and a playful smirk in place, though she was not sure what he was up to at that point. He frowned to himself at the question.

"No. I don't take _anyone_ here," he said with a little scowl before he turned and rose up to look at her. "I thought you might appreciate it. No one at Xaviers really enjoys the woods much." He looked a little disappointed at her reaction.

As he watched her, it hit her. This was a gesture. She looked at him a minute and then turned her attention back to the cabin. Really taking it in that time. It was a little creepy in the darkness and fire light, but looking to where the windows were, she realized it was probably quite pretty in daylight.

"I'm sorry. I misunderstood. I just thought we were probably headed to a hotel or something," she said quietly as she looked at her feet."I wasn't expecting something this … thoughtful." He looked at her closely, and suddenly understood what she meant. He didn't bother to try and stow the growl.

"I wasn't looking to get laid tonight," he said gruffly. "But if that's all you want, far be it from me to argue with ya." His irritation grew as he thought about it. What did he do to make her think that was all he wanted from her? Hadn't he shown her respect …. for the most part? _Damn it_.

"No! No, I didn't think - "she started, shaking her head and her hand outstretched before he cut her off.

"Someone tell you that's all I care about?" he asked as he stalked towards her, his anger building. Her mouth dropped open a hair and her shoulders fell.

"Well, yeah, actually." She admitted as she crossed her arms in front of her. "Didn't expect you to get sensitive about it."

"Is that all you want outta me?" he asked, his eyes narrowed. To her surprise, he looked a little taken back. She sighed, and looked up to the ceiling for some divine intervention.

"No – yes. UGH. I don't know. Is this a trick question?" She cocked her hip and tapped her foot as she looked at the floor with her hands on her hips. She shook her head and turned towards the door, ready to start walking to who knows where.

"You know what? Forget it," she said. She sounded resigned to it and fed up. "I'm outta here."

"Wait," he said as he darted forward and grabbed her arm and turned her to look at him. "I brought you here to _talk_ to you. You know ... talk. Words. I wanna get to know you." She let her eyes drift up to meet his. "I like you, and I don't like too many people. You've got some spunk to ya." She arched an eyebrow at him. This ... this was a line she hadn't heard before. He tipped his head to the side for a second as he continued. "And, we seem to have some similar past ... problems. Stuff I don't want to talk about - but you seem to get it." He said softly as he broke eye contact. She searched his face looking for some lie but found none. It didn't seem like a trick to get her sympathetic. She squinted at him as she thought. He was serious.

"So what – you want a friend?" she asked, clearly confused. "Because, I gotta tell you, friends don't kiss friends like that." He smirked at the memory of the heated kiss earlier at Xavier's before he chuckled a bit.

"No, I don't want a friend, and you're right. Got plenty of those - I don't kiss my friends like that. Usually." He pulled her closer by her belt loops and let his hands slide across her back as he took in a deep breath. Out away from the scents of the mansion and the bar and all those people ... he could finally get a good whiff of her ... and it was making him a little dizzy.

"Then I'm – not so sure I can give you what you want," K told him as she put her hands on his chest, ready to push him away even as he stepped a hair closer. She felt queasy suddenly, nervous at what he seemed to be alluding to.

"Hey. I just wanna spend a little time. Try out dating for a change. We just met. Don't gotta jump in and get married, eh?" Logan said, a little hope in his eyes. She stiffened in his arms and narrowed her eyes as she pushed away from him a lot harder than he was expecting.

"_Eh?_" She growled out as she looked ready to fight. "NOW you make a joke about my home?" He just laughed, fingers spread wide as he tried to de escalate the situation.

"I got no room to joke about that. I'm from Alberta. In the mountains," He confessed. She looked at him doubtfully.

"You're a canuck?" she asked as she looked down her nose at him with the tiniest sneer of distrust. He didn't like that expression on her face at all. Particularly over something as stupid as his citizenship.

"Yeah. Izzat a problem?" He asked, a growl starting up again on his side.

"It might just be. I've always had a 'No Canadians' policy. They're usually too frickin' polite," She said, eyeing him suspiciously. He looked insulted then yanked her to him and pressed her body to his as he kissed her. She wriggled to slip from his grasp, but he quickly pushed her against one of the mossy walls and ground his hips into her. She nearly squeaked as he continued, her heart racing. When she started to push on his shoulders he finally broke the kiss to look her in the eyes, though he didn't release her from the wall.

"Is that too polite? Because I can get rude, if that's what ya want," He growled out. Breathless, she reached up to slap him, a snarl on her lips that fell flat when he just caught her hands. She took in a quick breath instead when he moved her hands over her head and assaulted her neck, kissing and licking his way to her collarbone with a low growl. She should have been panicking, but instead, she was melting into his touch and she flat didn't want to. Not like this ...

"Stop," she breathed out, but he continued kissing and nipping at her neck ... quickly getting lost in her scent. "_STOP!"_ she yelled at him in a panic. To her surpise, he actually let her go, though he wondered if he'd pushed her too far. "OK. I get it. The polite thing does not always apply," she grumbled with a shaky voice.

"I don't generally apologize either, so don't even think about throwin' that old rumor out there either," he said, practically reading her thought process. She looked at him a moment, still a bit shell shocked from his unexpected display and the effect he seemed to have on her.

"Alright. I'm sorry for insulting your homeland," she replied quietly. "I just wasn't planning on getting involved with anyone and this ... is actually the nicest thing anyone's done for me in ... years. I wasn't expecting any of this."

"Why not?" he asked. "You think you're gonna run? Because that's not a great idea right now." She glared at him. Who was he to tell her what was smart and what wasn't?

"What makes you so sure of that?" she shot at him, hands on her hips. He chuckled and looked toward the ceiling before explaining.

"They'll come looking for you. As sure as I'm breathin' they will come. They're lookin' for ya already. They've got money invested in you, and there's money to be made offa ya. Just a matter of time – and next time? It won't be just a small unit of black ops. They'll come down on you with everything they got." He was getting heated as he continued and her eyes widened. "You really wanna go back to a concrete cell? You miss twisted nut jobs cutting into you while you're wide awake and screaming for them to stop? I'm guessing they threatened you with some awful version of a rape if you didn't behave too, am I gettin' close, princess?" The fire flashed in his eyes as he took a few deep, agitated breaths and took a few calculated steps closer.

"If the records Kitty hacked are complete, I know what the next steps are, sweetheart. You don't want to go there for it. You won't come out as yourself if you come out at all." He was breathing hard, and his jaw was clenched tightly when he finally stopped, the fire flickered across his face. She took a step away from the wall ... away from him.

She was shocked. She wasn't sure what he was proposing, but she knew now for sure he knew her past - though if it was from his own trouble or whatever Xavier had figured out from his little expedition in her head, she didn't know. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes as she stood there, frozen. She hadn't said to anyone what she'd been through. She knew no one had told him. It couldn't get worse than they'd already done, could it? She paced for a few minutes and he watched her, wondering if he'd blown it entirely before she sunk to the floor of the cabin. She finally realized the gravity of the situation she was in and the fact that she knew he was right. They would come. She took a breath and looked toward the fire.

"Why are they after me? I don't want this crap. What the hell did I ever do to anyone?" Her questions were rhetorical, meant for no one as she began to hyper ventilate. She looked to Logan as she shrunk in on herself. "How much worse can it get?"

He took a deep breath and sat down across from her before he popped his claws in his right hand and held them out for her to see in the firelight.

"This is the next step. They will drug you and then they'll try to cover your bones in metal – and if you live through it, which, most don't, they'll brainwash you, and beat the ever lovin' hell out of you just for fun. They'll see how far they can push you, then they'll turn you into their own private attack dog. You won't have a mind of your own. You'll be a tool for them to use when they want and abuse when they're done." Her eyes met his as the fire flickered off his claws. "And if my guess is right, if that all works out in their favor, they'll take from you _anything_ they think will make them more money. And you won't have a damn thing to say about it." She was pensive and still. He didn't like it.

The cabin was silent but for the crackling fire as he retracted his claws and looked her in the eyes. She just stared at him for a while. She found no lie on his face. That's what they'd done to him. Whatever they had planned for her had to be just as bad or worse. A shiver ran down her spine, and he moved closer to her. He draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him before he tipped her chin towards him to look her in the face easier.

"I'll protect you if you let me." Logan said, breaking the near silence in the mossy cabin. She wrinkled her brow as she searched his face. "Stay at Xaviers. I have no plans to leave and I can help you."

"Why would you take that risk for me? For a little piece of ass? You don't know a thing about me." He leaned in and kissed her softly as K's hand slid up into his hair on it's own volition. As the kiss deepened, her body relaxed for him and he couldn't help but smile a bit.

"I told you, I like you. You don't have to do a damn thing with me that you don't want to. But ... if you give me a shot - we might just make a good pair," he replied as he cradled her face in his hand.

"What then? You'd take that risk for what, a girlfriend?" she asked in disbelief. It wasn't a title she usually allowed.

"Yeah, or more. No tellin' what will happen down the road," he said casually, though his heart was keeping a little quicker pace.

"I don't know if I can do that," she replied, she looked like a deer in headlights. "I make a pretty shitty girlfriend. Not very submissive." He smiled as he leaned in closer.

"Don't want you to be anything you're not. And I'm not asking for it today, darlin." he said with a little smile. She laughed at herself a little nervously and moved to sit down on the bed – the only real viable looking option for seating. He joined her after a beat or two and when she turned her head to look at him, he leaned in for a kiss. It started out gentle – and certainly innocent enough – but it quickly built from there.

Her hand on his shoulder slid up to his neck as he leaned over her. His hand at her hip slid up her side and pushed her shirt up to expose her warm skin to the cool air. It quickly became heated, almost feverish as his hands began to roam her body.

When he slid his hand slid over her breast, a shiver ran across her body and the kiss broke. Her hands seemed to have a mind of their own too, and when he pulled back for a breath, she found herself unbuttoning his flannel shirt. He didn't look as if he'd expected it, but patiently waited until she was done and removed it as soon as the last button was undone. He smoothly pulled off the tank top he wore underneath it, both of his shirts finding their way halfway across the room before he pushed her shirt up and off too.

The boots were next and before she could sit back down on the bed, she smirked when she realized that she'd undone his belt and was working at the button on his jeans. Her own actions made her nervous, but she shook it off quickly as he returned the favor a split second after she pushed his jeans down over his hips. He pushed her backwards, cradling her head as he kissed her and she ran her hands across his broad shoulders. He broke the kiss long enough for her to lift up and shimmy out of her jeans a split second before he climbed over her, but to her shock, he didn't dive right in.

Instead, he took his time. He simply couldn't get enough of her intoxicating scent while he worked his way down her body with kisses, licks and nips. Neck ... arms, chest, belly ... anywhere he could, he took his time, firing her up until she was ready to attack him. Something about his scent seemed to call to her too, and neither of them acted as if they wanted to even consider thinking about it.

"Logan, please -" He let out a groan as he rested his forehead on her belly with one hand gripped onto her thigh.

"I'll stop, you're right …. goin' too fast," he growled out, sounding almost pained as he came to a stop. But the feel of his growl that close to where he'd just stopped kissing her nearly sent her over the edge. She shook her head and bit her lip as she tried to remember why was she supposed to avoid a man like him. And where in the world had that thought come from? Why would she _want _to avoid him?

"No …" she looked down at him as he propped himself up on his hands and knees. He looked at her, clearly a bit torn. He was reluctant to push her for anything so early on but then she licked her lips and started to pull on his arms, urging him to come up to her. When he was up to her level, she pulled him into a kiss.

"Please," she whispered between kisses as she slid her hands into his hair. "Don't you dare stop." The look on her face … pure want and desire, and purely for him … with her scent that he couldn't get enough of … he really didn't _need_ her begging him. He just stared into her eyes for a second before doing exactly as she'd asked.


	6. A New Morning

_neko - no, not really. and safer? yeah, that's not how he's ever operated that I've seen in over 30 years of comics. who needs safe?_

* * *

The sound of birds chirping got K to stir. She was reluctant to open her eyes, quite comfortable where she was. The evening had gone so incredibly well that she simply was afraid that I had been a dream. The sun wasn't quite up yet, and the air was chilly outside of her little blanket cocoon.

As she stretched out, her new lover's large arm squeezed her, pulling her closer into his warm, hairy chest. As she readjusted her body, he snuggled into her, nuzzling his face into her hair, still half asleep and clearly not ready to wake up himself. She looked around the cabin without picking up her head. The dust they'd disturbed the night before had all settled, and out the window she saw some of the first leaves of fall drifting down in the sunlight. This was her favorite time of year.

She realized that most of her naked form that wasn't pressed against Logan was a little chilled, so she turned slowly to face him, inadvertently waking him. Still sleepy, he cracked an eye open and lifted his head, a bit of a frown on his face at being disturbed. But, then he lifted his arm just enough that she could move into the position she wanted, or get up if she chose. He smiled when he realized she was snuggling in closer. She draped her arm over his torso and rested her head inches from his. He threw his leg over hers and pulled her in as he embraced her again with a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

This had not gone at all like he'd planned – he wasn't about to complain, of course. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun - or slept so well. But he did wonder where it left them.

Surprising herself, K actually ended up dozing again for a little while before he decided to wake her up. He started out by stroking her hair and gently caressing her back. She squirmed in the most delicious way and got a smirk from him. He continued to see how far he could get until she leaned forward just a bit and kissed him. In short order, she returned his caresses when she started running her hands up and down his body.

It wasn't long and things got heated again. Before they realized it they were again in the throes. This time though, when they'd finished she gave him a quick kiss and slipped away from him, up and out of the dusty bed. She boldly walked towards the door, stark naked.

"Where the hell are you goin?" He asked as he reached for his jeans next to the bed. She looked over her shoulder with the morning sun shining brightly on her as she opened the door.

"I have to use the little girls room, and this place has no plumbing. Don't worry. I'm not running off. I'll be right back," she said with a little smile before she stepped out into the woods. He smiled as she walked out. He'd only ever seen a handful of women so comfortable being naked ... and outdoors to boot.

She didn't go far from the cabin. She only looked until she found a place that didn't have any poison ivy, and a little bit of privacy where she could relieve herself. When she was finished, she shook her head at her current situation. As far as feral behavior went, the night before had to have been textbook for something – she was sure of it.

She could hardly find her own scent on her skin – he'd marked her very heavily as they got involved. She let out a sigh and simply walked back to the cabin to look for her clothes. When she returned, Logan was nearly finished getting dressed, and had put all of her things on the bed for her. She smiled a bit when she saw the little gesture, not surprised in the least when he sat on the bed and just watched her put her clothes on. The way he watched her gave her a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach ... she kept stealing glances at him between pulling on garments.

"Enjoying the show?" K asked as she straightened out the shirt she'd just pulled over her head. Logan just smiled and slowly finished doing up the buttons his flannel shirt before leaning back and resting on one elbow.

"More fun to watch when they're comin' off," he replied, getting her to pause in her re-dressing and give him a delightful smile with a slight blush. He grinned on seeing that blush.

Once they were both situated, they started the walk back to the Harley. Again, as they trekked the trail, he didn't let her hand go – their fingers entwined. He only readjusted his grip to help her over the rocks and to catch her when she slipped once. When they got to where the bike was parked, he opened up one of the saddlebags and pulled out a rag to wipe down the seat from the morning dew that had settled on it. He slipped the key into the ignition and it roared to life on the first try. He let it idle a minute as she climbed on and got comfortable.

This time she didn't wait for him to ask before she scooted close and wrapped her arms around him. He smiled to himself before he started to navigate back down his weaving trail to the gravel road. As they left the parking area, they spotted a doe that was crossing the road with her two fawns. He stopped and killed the engine a hundred yards back from them, watching as the little ones took their time to cross.

Once he knew they were well off the road, he fired it back up and putted to the main road where he turned in the wrong direction and opened it up, the engine roaring as they flew down the road. She leaned a little closer to him as they he met his speed and she rested her hands on his thighs. After a few minutes she realized he was having a little trouble concentrating, so she readjusted her hands and slid them up his stomach, under his shirt. Her cold hands woke him up better than the hike out did, and helped him to concentrate on what he was supposed to be doing. They rode out another 10 miles or so before he pulled into a little diner. She looked at him doubtfully as she got off the bike.

"Thought we could use a bite away from everyone at the house." he explained as he slipped his hand to the small of her back – a gentlemanly gesture as he guided her to the door. The waitress told them to pick a spot, so he found another booth that was easy enough to watch the doors from. She brought them coffee and left the menu on the table as she went to take care of a couple of old timers at the counter.

They ate their breakfast in silence. He slipped his hand over hers to stroke the back of her hand with his thumb. They kept stealing glances at each other as they sat together, both were smiling to themselves. One of the old timers at the counter had been watching them over his coffee, a little smile on his wrinkled face.

When Logan went to pay the tab, the waitress told him to forget it. The old man had already covered them. When Logan tried to give the man his money, he waved him off as he tearfully told him that watching the two of them reminded him of the morning after he and his wife spent the night together for the first time before they'd gotten married. She'd passed away a few years back, and their quiet display simply reminded him of his lost love. Logan thanked him and instead left a big tip for the waitress before he and K left the diner.

She looked over her shoulder at the old man as they left, only to get a wrinkled smile and a wink before Logan pushed her gently through the open door.

* * *

When they returned to the mansion, breakfast had cleared and all of the residents had already dispersed intent on enjoying their Saturday. They made their way past the scatterings of teenagers and were almost up the stairs when they heard footsteps behind them. K looked over her shoulder to see a brightly dressed Asian girl giving her a death stare. She turned back around as Logan put his hand at her waist, urging her forward.

"Somethin' on yer mind, Jubes?" Logan asked without bothering to turn around. Jubilee just huffed as they reached the top of the steps. "If you don't got something to say, then I ain't got times for games today, Jubilation," he said as he finally turned to look at her.

"How come you didn't come in last night?" Jubilee asked, her glare still focused on the little brunette at his side.

"None of yer business, Jubes. You ain't my keeper," He replied before he turned around and walked towards his room, holding K close to his side. Totally frustrated, Jubilee shouted after him.

"You know, you were supposed to meet me this morning. You said you were going to spend some time with me since I haven't seen you in nearly a month!" Jubilee barked out, her arms crossed over her chest and her hip cocked out. She didn't know this woman with him, but she sure didn't like her. Logan sighed, his shoulders falling as he released K from his grip and turned back to Jubilee.

"Shit, Jubes. I got caught up with things, we had some talkin' to do and we're not done just yet. How bout I take you out tomorrow for breakfast?" Logan said to her, a simple attemto to try to smooth things over with the angry teen. She narrowed her eyes and looked him over, her chest was puffed out and her arms uncrossed as she weighed it out to herself.

"Make it lunch and you have a deal. I'm not waking up early tomorrow. Scott made me do drills with him when you didn't show," she informed him in a pouting tone, her anger had finally started to ebb.

"You got it kiddo," He said with a smirk before he ruffled her hair. When he turned back to his date, it was just in time to see K's door close behind her. He stifled a growl and made his way directly to her door. He knocked as he let himself in – no intention to wait for her to answer the door.

"Hey, what did you walk off for?" He asked as she tossed her shirt into the corner. She looked at him as she unbuttoned her jeans.

"You were having a conversation that was clearly none of my business. I'm not going to interrupt you or stick my nose where it doesn't belong. Besides, I needed to hop in the shower after last night. I'm all – dusty and _dirty_," she explained as she slid her panties off and turned towards the sound of running water. He watched as she unhooked her bra, her back to him before she stepped into the bathroom.

With a little predatory growl, he tossed his cowboy hat on her bed and kicked off his boots before he stripped down and followed her in, closing the bathroom door behind him.

A few hours later, the two new lovers were still in bed, lazily enjoying each others company and ravaging each other as the mood hit them. It seemed as if they were quickly falling for each other – at the very least, they both truly enjoyed the physical aspect of things.

* * *

It wasn't until Jean knocked on the door and told K in a strained voice that she had a danger room session with Scott the next morning that they even considered getting dressed. Or, K did, to be more accurate.

"You two have effectively kicked off the rumor mill, so you know," Jean said quietly from the other side of the door. Logan and K looked at each other a moment before Logan got irritated and shouted at her.

"Any of it accurate?" He growled out. Jean barely stifled a laugh but still answered him with a giggle.

"Well, not yet. We'll have to see if any of our young telepaths can pick up on what you two have been up to all day - broadcasting all day, that is. Especially at certain … moments." She said, a smile in her voice before she turned and walked away. The two ferals shared a glance as they listened to Jean's retreating footsteps.

"I guess we're going to have to do consider doing something else for a while," K said as she tossed the blanket back and swung her feet over the edge of the bed.

"Oh no. They're all old enough to know not to pry ... besides, they've already took sex ed. Most of 'em are chasin' tail ninety percent of the time anyhow," he replied as he reached up and pulled her back and climbed over her. He pulled the blanket up over them again and doubled his efforts to make her squirm under him. Not that she was complaining.

They didn't get out of that room until nearly dinner time.

* * *

She walked into the kitchen ahead of him only to find pizza boxes piled up everywhere. People were buzzing in and out of the kitchen, students and teachers alike. They were getting ready for movies, and Jubilee was front and center sitting with Chloe and Zoe. The three of them were having a ball, laughing and giggling with their heads together.

K watched them for a moment and simply enjoyed the fact that they could act like normal kids until Jubilee looked up and spotted her. Jube's smile fell from her face and she just stared at her. K noted that Jubes' friends had to ask her the same question 3 times before she even started to hear what they were trying to say. The little firecracker continued to watch K, though she did manage to respond to her friends ... at least until Logan came in a short time later and cozied up to her.

Jubilee fell silent again when Logan leaned in to kiss K behind the ear and pulling back grinning at her. She decided it was time to do some recon on the stranger that she thought Logan had simply brought home from the bar.

"So, you have some special time with Scooter tomorrow, eh?" Logan asked, as he cracked open a can of beer and set it in front of his new lover. She picked it up and stared at it a moment, nodded her head and sighed before she took a healthy slug of it.

"That's what I'm told. What is the danger room, and what the hell is it for? Sounds like a shitty dance club," She replied as she set the can down and looked over the offerings in front of her. She picked up a slice of pizza from the nearest box when she decided she really didn't care what she ate.

Logan smirked and began to tell her what she was in for in the morning. He emphasized that Scott never ran the same simulation twice for newcomers. He was clear that the purpose of the exercise would be to see what she could do, and how far he could push her. She thought it sounded suspiciously like something the Weapons Plus people would do, and wondered how painful the experience would be. Betsy 'overheard' her concern and pulled up a chair with them.

"It's not what you think, K," Betsy began. "It's not a torture test, it's more of an exercise. A means to measure what you can do. And you'll do fine," she assured her before she rose up again to join Warren on a love seat he'd managed to kick a few love struck teens off of. Logan watched Betsy and Warren get cozy before he turned back to K and casually mentioned that his morning was free since Jubes preferred a lunch date with him. K smiled and nodded her head.

"You wanna watch me fall on my face? Ok. Sure," K replied with a smirk. He returned the little smile and stole a quick kiss.

"Somehow, I doubt you'll fall on your face," he replied as he leaned close to her. She broke the stare and looked at the can in her hand as he sat back.

_Yeah, _she thought to herself. _He's been through more than I have. He probably has an idea of what I can and can't do already._ Honestly though, she thought that having him around might be a good way to ease her nerves. She had no idea why he calmed her so much, but he did. All it took was his gentle touch ... or better still a good sniff of his woodsy, rich musk and she was totally relaxed.

Not long into the movie, Logan completely lost interest in the film. He found himself looking at the little brunette next to him that smelled like the forest and fresh water ... light hint of floral. He suggested they go outside and take a walk in the moonlight instead of listening to the overly loud film on screen. She readily agreed as the kids burst out laughing at the scene on the screen.

* * *

As they walked around the grounds, Logan pointed out some of the finer points as they went. The boat house, pool, basketball and tennis courts ... when he mentioned the stables though, she stopped in her tracks.

"Are there horses in there?" she asked, looking towards the stable in the distance.

"Yeah, hard to have a stable with no horses," he replied. "You wanna take a look?" She nodded and put her arm back around him as he led her there. Once inside, he flipped on the light just beyond the door, and almost instantly a chorus of nickers started up all around them. She grinned in spite of herself as Logan chuckled a bit at the animals, and cracked open a door to his left to pull out a couple of scoops of grain while K hugged herself and smiled sedately.

"Alright, ya spoiled nags. I got yer feed," Logan muttered to the impatient equines as he made his way down the bank of stalls. He dropped a few handfuls worth into each bin, rubbing a forehead here and there as he made the rounds. K smiled with her eyes closed and stepped forward slowly as the sound of horses chewing filled the stable.

Once he'd given them a taste of grain, he went around again to toss a little hay to each of them. She pulled up a bale of hay and sat down in the middle of the aisle, her back against a stall front as the horse directly behind her munched and crunched away. She again closed her eyes and listened to them eat. The smells and sounds in the barn made her smile involuntarily.

"Horse lover?" he asked as he took a seat next to her. She just smiled a little wider as she took it in and nodded before she opened her eyes and turned to look at him. She was stunned at the way he was smiling at her.

"Yeah," she said finally. "My family had horses years ago. I grew up riding them around through the woods and plowed fields. I haven't ridden in longer than I can remember, though," she admitted quietly. He smiled at her little confession. She was a country girl at heart. Loved animals, quiet, and the forest. Her list of positives just kept growing.

"What kind of kid were you?" he asked, purely out of curiosity. She laughed.

"Oh, I don't know. I was littler than most kids. Not the youngest, but I was the smallest. I used to hide from the big kids until I got beat up really badly by one of them. Something in my head snapped and I chased that kid down and pounded the hell out of him. Every time I saw him that summer I glared at him until he left, and if he refused to leave, I beat the hell out of him again." She laughed a little at the memory. Logan smiled. He could just see in his minds' eye a tiny brunette girl in pigtails wailing on some unfortunate boy.

"He probably had a crush on you. You likely broke his young heart," he laughed. She turned to him with a smirk.

"He's lucky I didn't break something else. He had it coming. Boys will be boys never was a valid excuse to me. He hit me first, but I hit him harder. Hopefully he learned a lesson about hitting girls," K replied with a sparkle in her eyes that made him grin. He leaned in closer and kissed the smile off her face. Before long, things progressed in the barn to the point that Logan swept her up and carried her up to the hay loft. He laid his shirt down on the hay before he stripped her down again and got down to the business of having his way with her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jubilee had started asking the kids around her about the new woman. She learned her name from Paige Guthrie, who'd overheard some of the teachers discussing her when she was in Dr. McCoy's lab. Once her name was out, Chloe and Zoe piped up over the speculation of how she'd appeared at Xaviers.

"That's not what happened at all," Chloe said as she quickly started the task of dispelling the incorrect gossip. "We were with her when Mr. Summers came and got us."

"Yeah," Zoe confirmed. "She saved our butts a lot before those soldiers caught up to us. She's kinda scary when she gets wound up."

"What do you mean?" Jubilee asked as the group left the movie and found a quiet spot to talk, far removed from the bulk of the student body.

"She's like a wild woman," Chloe explained, Zoe nodded her head in agreement. "I don't know how she does it. One minute she's just fine and then the next she's all … rawr."

"Oh, and she heals really fast," Zoe added. Jubilee's mouth was hanging open.

"Yeah – do you remember when that one biker guy shot her?" Chloe tossed in. She got animated as she relived it.

"Yeah, that was scary," Zoe replied. "But she like just stood up real slow then took the gun from him and pistol whipped him." Zoe scrunched up her nose. "That was the first time I figured out what pistol whipping was. It was crazy. Her tiny little self pounding on that big guy ..."

Jubilee was flabbergasted. So that's why Wolvie was interested in this woman. They were the same. She wondered if K had claws, and found herself asking the question before she could censor herself.

"Mmm Hmm," Chloe said "How did you know? They're like crazy freaky, but not like you know, freaky like Professor Logan's. That's just scary." Jubilee turned to Chloe.

"You mean hers are bone?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?" Zoe asked. Jubilee suddenly had to talk to Wolvie. Did he know all this? Were those guys that were chasing K after Logan too? They had to be. She got up suddenly and started to look for him. When she didn't see him around the crowd, she ran to his room – only to find it empty. Then, she started looking outside, she froze in her tracks when she heard his soft moans from the hay loft. He didn't sound like he was in pain.

"Oh, eeew," she said out loud with a full body shiver before she turned around and rushed back to the house. She thought she'd scrubbed the mental image of them out of her brain when they walked into the door, twenty minutes later, hay stuck to their clothes and poking out of her hair here and there, Both were smiling and they were walking hand in hand just a little too close for it to be too casual.

"Gag," Jubilee mumbled. Logan's eyes whipped to her, and she tried to act innocent. When they slipped toward the staris, she took her chances and followed them at a distance. She waited a few minutes before she knocked on his door once he'd kissed K good night and went across the hall to his room.

"It's open, Jubes," he said, tiredly. He'd already changed his jeans for sweats and was standing barefooted and bare chested pulling hay out of his hair in the mirror when she walked in and closed the door behind her.

"So," Jubes said, totally unable to make small talk as she made her way over to take a seat on his bed. "Tell me about this new … person." He turned to her and carefully appraised her before he took a seat next to her and answered.

"She's not goin' anywhere Jubes," Logan said. "Not if I have any say in it."

"OK, fine. Whatever. But – what about the people that are after her?" she asked, looking concerned as she worried her lip.

"You thinking of her or me?" he asked striking to the heart of it. She floundered for a moment under his glare before answering.

"Well, you," she replied quietly, her eyes on the floor. He sighed before he turned to face her better.

"Jubes, they're not going to come after me. They've known where I am for years. I was written off a long time ago. Now ... they still want her, but they can't have her. I won't let them," he said with a growl before he let out a deep breath and taking a seat next to her.

"Listen, she's got a morning session with Scott. I'm going to watch. Why don't you drag your lazy butt out of bed and come down too. You can sit with me and we can figure out what exactly they want her for. Besides, you oughta meet her," he told her before he gave her a quick squeeze. Jubilee thought about it a second and nodded her head as she wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed him back.

"Yeah. I guess I should meet her before I decide I hate her, I suppose," she mumbled, hoping he didn't hear. Logan chose to ignore the comment and instead wished her a good night and saw her out.

When he was sure she was gone, he hesitated for a moment before he slipped across the hall to K's room. He didn't bother knocking when he let himself in. She looked up at him with a smile as he crossed the room and got right down to the business of trying to coax her to his bed. It didn't take much coaxing though, and as soon as she agreed, she found herself draped over his shoulder as he ran her back to his room. He barely slowed down enough to kick the door closed behind him before he dropped her on the bed and slid in over her.


	7. Evaluation Day

_KJAX - thanks for the review! I'm partial to Jubes myself. She's a great sidekick._

* * *

Jubilee was rudely awakened by the sound of her roommate Paige snoring. Bleary eyed, she looked at her alarm clock and groaned.

_NO. Too early! _She thought as the numbers flashed back **6:05 AM**. She tried to hide under her pillow, and when that didn't work, she threw it at Paige. It stopped her from snoring for a moment before she launched back into a very unladylike like imitation of a buzz saw. Jubes groaned, then sat up as she realized that she just wasn't going to be able to sleep in. She thought over her conundrum and came to a sudden realization.

Wolvie_ had_ invited her to check out the new recruit that he just happened to be ... um ... dating. Just thinking about K made Jubilee cranky. She didn't like to share what little time she had with Wolvie – especially with this little woman that had so much in common with him. She tried to convince herself that it was just mutations that the pair shared. She was smart enough to realize however that if Wolvie really did end up falling for this ... _woman_ ... that pissing her off could make the little time she got with him disappear all together. At least, if his past lovers were any indicator. And they probably were.

She decided to try to be a little nicer, you know – keep your enemies close and all that. But as she thought about it, that wasn't exactly right. K wasn't an enemy. In fact, if what the new girls had told her was even half true, she was probably a good person. K didn't _have_ to help Chloe and Zoe, but she did without even knowing them.

_Shoot. That sounds a lot like what Wolvie would do,_ She sighed to herself before she stood up and stretched. May as well get dressed. She hoped that maybe she could go catch him and grab a bite with him early after all.

She laced her shoes and slipped out of her shared room with Paige before she tiptoed down to the teacher's wing to see if Wolvie was up yet. He rarely, if ever locked the door, and he would probably be either waking up or already up by now, so she didn't bother to knock before she let herself in. She instantly wished she hadn't.

For the first time in her memory, he didn't wake up when she opened the door. She stood there for a moment, partly in shock, partly seething and partly disgusted. He was soundly asleep with _her_ head on his chest. She was naked and draped halfway across him, and both of them were clearly passed out from staying up way too late. What they'd been doing was obvious ... but Jubes didn't want to think about it.

His arm was around her, possessively, and he looked more peaceful than she'd ever really seen him. With her face burning in embarrassment and anger, Jubilee backed out of his room. She only woke K when the latch on his door clicked shut.

* * *

At the metallic click, K's eyes popped open and she looked around the room as best she could without lifting her head. When she couldn't see the source of the disturbance, she lifted her head a few inches as she tried to see the door or some sign of who had closed it. She was too close to Logan's chest to smell much more than him and the lingering smell of sex in the air. When she lifted her head a bit more, Logan's arm automatically gave her a squeeze before he began to stretch out.

"What's wrong, darlin? Up a little early aren't ya?" He said as he pulled her up so he could kiss her. She returned his kiss, but she felt a little stiff in his arms, and his eyes opened fully as he wondered what had her on edge.

"Someone was just in here," K said as she glanced toward the door and pulled his sheet up to cover herself, as if it bothered her that someone would see her. Logan sat up and let his arm fall from her before he got up, and walked toward the door, sniffing as he went. Ten paces or so before he got there, he groaned.

"Jubilee," he said as he turned back to K. "How did she get in here without waking me up?" K just smirked at him and shrugged as she rearranged the sheet covering her.

"_Maybe_ you were a little worn out and needed some beauty sleep. Did you do anything strenuous last night?" She asked, doing her best to look completely innocent before she let the sheet drop down and pool across her thighs, exposing her bare flesh in the morning sun. He grinned at her in reply and he stalked back to the bed, ready for a morning round. He grabbed her knee and yanked her towards him before he covered her body with his and kissed her into the pillows. When the kiss broke, he gave her a little slap on the leg she had pulled over his hip.

"Can't do it this mornin'. You have a session in a little bit, and I gotta go find Jubes now. She's probably pissed off," he explained as he pinned her hands near her head and she squirmed under him. She looked at his arms, then up to his face.

"Why are you holding me down then? Afraid I'll do something you might like?" She smiled up to him. He chuckled low in return.

"Yeah. 'Cuz you're a trouble maker." He kissed her again as he ground into her, making her squeak a little. She wriggled under him in response and wrapped her leg around him, getting him to break the kiss with a growl. "Troublemaker," he accused before he reluctantly released her wrists and she smiled up at him. He took a moment or two then slowly got up when she released him from her legs. He looked pained as he eyed her and shook his head at her.

She looked around for her clothes as she sat up. All she had worn had been strewn across the floor. She couldn't find her pajamas. Reflexively, she wrapped his sheet around her again and looked around a little harder, as she knelt on his bed. She was trying to clutch the sheet across her breasts and hold her hair out of her face at once. Logan turned to watch her while her back was to him. She didn't realize the image she'd just made for him, the early morning sun made her skin glow and reflected the coppery highlights in her hair ... and her with nothing on but his scent and the sheets.

"I can't find my clothes," She said suddenly as she sat back on her heels. It wasn't exactly a complaint, but it was clear she was trying to deciper how best to leave the room.

"You're not going to either, sweetheart," Logan told her as he slipped his jeans on and sat back on the bed. He ran his hand down her naked back and her face wrinkled into a frown. She whipped her hair over her shoulder as she turned toward him.

"What did you do to me?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously while pulling the sheet tighter and higher up her chest as if to cover herself from his gaze. He smiled then gently pulled the sheet from her. He slid his hands across her body and nibbled at her neck, earning a little moan.

"You don't remember?" he asked in a rough voice as he kissed her shoulder from behind her, smiling against her skin as he snaked his hand around her waist then up to cup a breast. She shook her head as she leaned backward into him. He stopped his carnal assault suddenly and grinned.

"Good," he replied with a smirk. "Then I did something right last night." She turned to him blushing just as he stopped assaulting her shoulder.

"Yes, you certainly did," she said before she gave him a quick kiss then nearly leapt out of bed, the sheet abandoned on the floor as she headed for the door. When her hand touched the knob he sprung up and darted forward to push the door shut loudly again.

"You can't go out there naked," he told her as he blocked the door and she stood bare in front of him.

"You trashed my clothes. I don't have any here, and it's the teacher's wing, and if what Jean said is true, they all know what we're doing anyhow," She listed off. "Is it really a big deal if a teacher sees me walking across the hallway?" He wrinkled his face in disapproval.

"To me it is." His tone and look were deadly serious as he glanced around the room. "Here," he handed her one of his flannel shirts. "At least put this on until you get across the hall." She took the shirt and slipped it on, ready to go without buttoning it up.

"WAIT." He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. He gave her a glare as he began to button up the shirt for her. She smiled as he did it.

"Little possessive there, aren't you, big guy?" she teased, knowing full well that was entirely the problem. She was amused that he didn't seem to want to flat out admit it, though actions spoke volumes.

He growled and gave her a kiss then swatted her backside before she slipped across the hall. Once she was in her room with the door shut, he slipped on an old red flannel and went after Jubilee. He didn't have to go too far. She was in the kitchen, scarfing down a big bowl of that sugary crap she liked so much as she glowered at the cabinetry.

"Mornin' Jubes," he said in a calm, conversational tone, as he started up a pot of coffee. She glared at his back while he set up the coffee maker. As he turned around, she rolled her eyes and focused on her cereal. "Up awful early for someone plannin' on sleepin' in." She pointedly ignored him as he took a seat across from her.

"Yeah," she grumped between chews."Well, YOUR roommate doesn't snore." She snapped as she glared at him openly. He was taken back. She was jealous.

"Jubilation," he said quietly as he tipped his head her direction. "Is there a reason you're acting jealous? Because I gotta tell ya, kiddo – if what I think is your reason is what's got you all pissy – well, it better not be." He looked dead serious. She stared at him for a moment in disbelief.

"Oh, eeew. NO," She denied as she rolled her eyes and pushed her cereal away. "As if! You're like, totally old, and ugh. NO." He huffed as she crossed her arms. He just didn't understand her.

"Then what the hell is your problem?" he barked back as he lost his patience. She groaned, and rested her head on her fist looking at him, jiggling her foot trying to find a way to tell him without sounding like a kid.

"I just -" she started to explain then gave up. Logan waited patiently for her to continue. "I miss you," she whispered, half hoping he wouldn't hear. The tension melted from his shoulders and he stood and circled the table to pull up a chair next to her as he rested his arm on the back of her chair.

"I'm sorry, darlin'. I know it's been hard on you, but I don't really plan on havin' to be gone so much for a while." She looked up at him with an expression that plainly read she'd heard all that before. "I'll make it up to you somehow, but try to get to know K before you write her off. You might just like her," He told her as he kissed the top of her head. Jubilee sighed and wrapped her arms around his waist returning the hug as K padded silently into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. She smiled at Jubilee and took her mug outside, clearly an attempt to give her some privacy with Logan.

Suddenly, Jubes felt guilty at how she'd judged her. She hadn't _tried_ to monopolize him purposely. In fact, she realized suddenly that when she was shouting at Logan at the top of the stairs, K had tactfully disappeared, clearly she didn't want to even witness their raised conversation. Few in the mansion would have done that, if anyone at all. She moved to break the hug and kissed Logan on the cheek.

"I've been a jerk, haven't I?" she asked. The corner of his mouth pulled up and he shook his head no. "Sorry, Wolvie," she said quietly as she looked out the window toward K's back. As she stared at the little woman, Scott jogged up to the patio and took a seat next to K, smiling warmly and leaning toward her. "I'll see you in a little bit. Do you think she'd like to join us for lunch?" Jubes asked. If he said she was alright, she'd at least give her a shot.

"Why don't you ask her?" He replied. "You comin' down to watch her evaluation?"

"Evaluation? You mean, they haven't done that yet?" She was surprised at the news. She'd been here a week anyhow. Scott was usually really pushy about getting new people evaluated immediately.

"Long story," he replied with a grim tone. "Involves an exploding inhibitor." She pulled a face in sympathy before a smirk replaced her grimace.

"So, too long for a weekend fling ... not your usual pace for a real relationship ... unless ... you're movin' kinda fast aren't ya, big kahuna?" she teased, nudging him in the ribs. He glared at her and acted like he was going to bite her as she jumped up, laughing.

"OK, OK, I got it. Mind my own beeswax. Whatever. I'll see you in a few," she said as she backed out of the kitchen and Logan stood and walked over to finally snag a cup of coffee.

He leaned against the counter, a little irritation rising as he watched Scott and K joke easily on the patio. What the hell was he up to, anyhow? His eyes narrowed as he heard her easy laughter through the door. Scott leaned closer to her, smiling as she laughed at whatever it was he'd had to say. She stood up, said something to him that got a chuckle and headed back into the kitchen with a smile for Logan as she entered the door. She walked up and gave him a quick kiss before she turned to rinse out her cup.

As she did so, Logan stepped up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist and nibbled on her ear. She smiled wider and leaned back into him as his hand moved north from her waist. She turned in his arms and put her hands on the sides of his face to kiss him deeply as Scott came in.

Scott's smile fell and he cleared his throat. The couple totally ignored him save for Logan deepening the kiss further as her hand slid into his soft black hair. Determined to act indifferent, Scott quietly poured himself a cup of coffee and stepped around the couple as he headed out of the kitchen and they continued their steamy public display.

When the kiss finally broke, they leaned their foreheads together, half panting as a small applause broke out from Bobby, Remy, Jean and Jubilee. Logan moved his head to one side to look over K's shoulder then gave her a quick nip on the neck which made her jump sideways a bit. She playfully swatted at him and started to head towards the elevator. Jean followed her with a smile on her face.

"SO," Jean started to say "I guess I was wrong." She bumped K with her shoulder. "Looks like you two are getting along really well." K gave her a sidelong glance and shrugged noncommitally as a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Who knows. Could end tomorrow," K replied quietly. Jean scoffed. She'd never seen him like this before. What's more, the little woman was giving her _nothing._

"Come on, can't you give me any details?" Jean asked. K raised an eyebrow and started to chuckle.

"Details? Well ... all I can tell you is that he moves fast, and _knows_ what the hell he's doing. Outside of that – no, I really don't think so." When the elevator doors opened, Jean pulled her towards the locker rooms.

"Be that way, but if you're going into your evaluation, you're going to need a uniform. Something that's easy to move in. I think I have just the right one for you," Jean offered her as they opened a door in the back of the women's locker room. She pulled out a black bodysuit that had a few seams that accentuated the figure with red piping.

"I was going to use this one, but the sleeves and legs came out too short. I'll bet it will fit you just about right." She explained as she handed her the garment. K nodded and started to strip on the spot. Jean was taken off guard by her lack of modesty and turned her back to her. "I can leave," She offered as her face turned red.

"Why?" K asked as she started to slip into the uniform "I don't have anything special." She zipped the front up and Jean helped her to find a pair of boots to round out the uniform. Within a few minutes Jean sent her into the danger room and wished her luck.

K was spooked as the door sealed to the big metal room. She jumped when Scott spoke over the intercom, and she whipped her head up, a little panic hitting her when she saw the observation room above. When the lights dimmed a bit, she suddenly felt very trapped and began to breathe quickly and shallowly as her hands made a move to smooth the fabric over her stomach.

* * *

Hank was watching the readouts on the screen. He wrinkled his brow when he saw her pulse and respiration jump. He looked down at her, expecting the equipment to be malfunctioning but saw she was indeed clearly breathing heavy and fast. She had slipped into a half crouch, and looked like she was ready to spring at anything.

"Why is she so tense? What's going on down there with her – you didn't start the simulation did you?" Hank asked Scott. Scott was disturbed as he watched her movements too.

"No, I just closed the door," Scott replied, bewildered as he double checked the controls. "Jean, what's happening with her?" he asked his wife as she walked in the booth. She leaned towards the glass and did a quick scan of the little feral woman below.

"Change the scenery, Scott. She's panicking. It's the room and the booth, I think. It's somehow familiar to her," she said, concerned about the woman's mental state. Logan watched her move as he rose to his feet. She looked like a tightly coiled spring ready to snap. His stomach fell a bit as he suddenly remembered a similar room that they'd put him in years ago in the Weapons Plus project.

"Oh no," Logan said quietly as he made the connection. "Scott, get her out of there now." He didn't look back to make sure Scott was complying as he ran out of the booth. Scott started pushing buttons to open the doors when Logan punched in his override code and slipped into the room with her before he closed it behind him. She whipped her head at him, clear panic on her face and her chest heaving and eyes wild. He approached her slowly hands open and fingers spread, trying to calm her down.

"Easy now, darlin'. I'm not gonna hurt you. You know that," Logan cooed. Scott, Hank, and Jean shared a look in the control booth.

"Logan what the hell are you doing?" Scott's voice echoed down.

"Scenery, Scott - Change it _QUICK_ – woods, forest, jungle – something green FAST," Logan barked to Scott without taking his eyes off of K as he slowly approached her. Scott quickly punched in the first Forest simulation that popped up on the screen without bothering to read it.

Logan started to talk to her, and his voice slowly began to break through to her. He never broke eye contact as he spoke. Her shoulders and arms started to relax incrementally until Logan heard a familiar growl behind him. He instinctively tensed as Creed's voice began to chuckle from the lush green forest around them. He never expected what happened next.

The growl that came from K was truly frightening. It was so low, it was nearly inaudible. All those in the control booth felt a chill up their spine as they felt the growl before the sound actually reached them. Her eyes had narrowed and Logan realized a split second after she rushed him that she wasn't going for him. He ducked down at her running approach and she actually stepped on his back as she launched herself at the simulated Sabretooth creeping up behind him. She was clearly planning to eviscerate him. Logan rolled after she stepped on him and simply watched the carnage from the ground in total shock.

Creed was as viscous as he ever was, but she was fast and ruthless. He got in some nasty hits on her, slicing her from knee to armpit, but she acted as though she never felt it. The battle waged both ways, each gained and lost ground and those in the control booth were simply in stunned, horrified at the amount of bloodshed and violence happening that for once _wasn't_ at Wolverine's hands.

With a cracking sound, Creed pinned her against the wall by her throat. Her feet dangled over the floor by a solid foot as she struggled in his grip, snarling and growling the whole time. To Logan's horror, as her face turned purple her arms began to fail her she worked her feet up to his throat and pushed him off of her. She got her throat half cut up in the process, but she was out of his grip and lying helpless on the ground. She was bleeding profusely as Creed came up toward her again.

She wavered as he lunged, but moved at the last possible moment and launched herself on his back, one set of claws buried in his shoulder. As he howled in rage, she took her hand off of her neck wound and while she bled all over them both, she used both sets of her claws to decapitate him. She kicked out, and booted Creed's decapitated head away from her as she fell on top of his massive body, finally passing out from blood loss on his chest as Logan reached her. He wrapped his hands around her throat to stop her from bleeding out entirely while Hank ran to her aide.

The booth was silent as Hank and Logan rushed around her, trying to help her. Hank was trying to start an IV for an infusion as Logan used his boot to move part of her shredded bloodied uniform away from the wound on her side He waited to see it pull together before he'd turn his attention elsewhere. Slowly, it started to close up. He gingerly moved his hand a little from her throat and a large clot come with his fingers. He carefully ran his finger along her neck as he looked for the wound Creed's claws had inflicted, but found nothing.

The gash up her side was healing slowly, so he directed Hank's attention to it to look for some foreign object that may have held up her progress as he restrained her hands. Henry pulled out a piece of the robot that had broken off between her ribs and a long strip of material that had been embedded itself when the simulation slashed her. When he saw the color beginning to return to her, he looked up at the booth, cold anger on his face.

"What the flamin' hell happened, Summers? Why did you have it on my simulation? You tryin ta kill her?" he barked at the X-Men's fearless leader.

"I'm not sure – I just ... I just tried to load a forest," Scott said, typing madly trying to figure out how it had gone so terribly wrong. It gave Logan no relief to see Scott so flustered. But Jubilee was the one that figured it out.

"It was your code, Wolvie," Jubilee said into the mic as she leaned past Scott, her eyes glued on her distressed mentor.

"What are you talkin' about?" he snarled up to the little Asian girl.

"Your code – when you punched it into the panel it over rode what Scott had up here, he just didn't see it because he was watching her go all feral on you," she explained. Logan seemed to weigh out her explanation. He sat back on his heels and watched her stitch herself up as Hank cleaned up the blood on her face. Scott switched off the microphone.

"Well, we don't need an evaluation. She didn't take him down. She killed him," he said to Jean and Jubilee. "Logan hasn't taken it that far even." Jean studied his pale face.

"True, but Logan and Creed are somewhat matched. She's probably what? 110? 115 tops? She's tiny compared to him," Jean reasoned as they watched Logan pick up her limp body. Jubilee left the control room to follow Logan as he carried K to the elevator. He looked at her as she stood next to them, eyeing the blood as it dripped off of K's borrowed uniform.

"You may not want to ride with us, Jubes. Don't know what's going to happen when she wakes up. Don't want you in the cross hairs." He told her, reasonably.

"I'll just stand behind you," she replied as she stepped in with them. When he stepped out of the elevator, and started towards the stairs Jubilee trotted after, two steps behind him up the stairs, and to Logan's shock, she rushed ahead and opened the door to his room for him. He nodded in thanks as he passed her. He took K straight to the bathroom, and started to strip the uniform off of her as he got the water running.

Jubilee stayed back a bit, not wanting to be too close if she panicked. He got her boots off and halfway had her arm pulled out of the uniform when she woke up with a start. He threw his hands out as she looked around for a minute. She stared at him before she relaxed and pulled her arm from the sleeve.

"You alright now?" he asked. She nodded her head and rubbed her neck where she'd been slashed.

"I don't like Scott's idea of an evaluation. You could have said we'll find the biggest asshole you can think of and throw him at you," she said, wobbling as she stood. He let the shock wash over him before he simply smiled sadly at her.

"Yeah, that was a simulation for me," Logan admitted. She froze.

"You mean, Jean didn't just pull him from my head?" Confusion was plain on her face. He was a little reluctant as to where the conversation was bound to go.

"No. He's a chronic pain in my ass," Logan replied as she seemed to lose some of her color.

"Please tell me that son of a motherless whore isn't a regular problem around here," She sad with a pleading tone, and her color washing out a bit more.

"I wish I could," he replied as he watched her look for something to grab onto for balance. "Come on, hop in the shower, clean up a bit and then you can tell me about it." He guided her into his shower and she simply nodded and started to wash up. Logan left her to it and went back to talk to Jubilee to give K a bit of privacy.

"Jubes - "he started to say before she cut across him.

"She knows him," she said dazed. "She knows him, hates him, and can kick his ass." She looked up at Logan smiling. "I think I like her." Logan chuckled to himself.

"Give us a little time and we'll go grab a bite somewhere," He promised.

"Can I stay, please, I want to hear what she has to say about him," Jubes asked. Logan weighed it out, and decided to leave that decision to the woman washing her own blood off in his shower.


	8. Old Times

_KJAX - thanks for the review, so very glad you enjoyed it!_

* * *

_Damn that's a lot of blood going down the drain,_ K thought to herself. For a moment, she wondered if it would ever stop. Wrapped in a towel she finally emerged from the bathroom and was greeted by both Logan and his little friend, Jubilee.

Still wet, she chose not to sit on the bed or cross the hallway for fresh clothes. Her whole body was buzzing as it worked overtime to restore the blood she'd lost. Besides, the two of them looked like they wanted their answers immediately and Logan simply hadn't bothered to go bring her something to wear. So instead she opted for the only open seat, next to Jubilee. The girl hadn't really appeared to like her much and she'd made a point to glare at K every time she'd laid eyes on her.

However for the time being, Jubilee simply watched her wide eyed as K made her decision on where to sit while she made sure that K saw there was room to share the love seat with her.

_Well, what the hell. Why not, _K thought before she made a beeline for the girl and very ungracefully plopped herself down next to her.

"Hey," K whispered out as she sat down and leaned her head back, trying to stretch a little in an attempt to just rest a moment when Jubilee asked if K would tell her about Sabretooth. K lifted her head as she looked at the girl next to her and nodded.

"What do you want to know?" K asked quietly, her tone conversational.

"Well, what's your beef with him?" Jubilee asked. K narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath before she let it out slowly, clearly trying to decide the best way to describe it.

"Well," she started "He's a psychopath that likes to rape, mutilate, torture and murder women – not necessarily in that order." She tipped her head toward the floor and recrossed her legs.

"Did he … hurt you?" Jubilee asked timidly. She didn't want to ask outright if Sabretooth had forced himself on her, though she really wanted to know.

"Sure. Many times in many ways. Broken more bones than I can count. Bruises, cuts, all kinds of things. Usually I was restrained in one way or another," she said, her eyes on the carpet.

"They let him torture you?" Logan asked, not entirely surprised that Weapon X still employed the bastard after all these years, but still somehow upset that he was indeed doing this kind of thing for fun. K looked up at him before carefully choosing her words. She didn't want to imply more than what had happened.

"Everyone has their talents, don't they? He's exceptionally good at torture and mind games. Who else would do such a thorough job of it for them?" She asked earnestly. Although it irritated him, she had a damn good point.

"What did he do?" he asked seriously, anxiety on his face. She smiled sadly, as she shifted, suddenly uncomfortable under his stare.

"Not ... as much as he wanted to. He made all kinds of promises that I know he means to at least try to make good on one day," She said. She sighed heavily before she continued. "To be honest, I'm not exactly sure why he hasn't done it already." Jubilee turned in her seat, watching K stare off, not really seeing anything. Without thinking about it, Jubilee leaned over suddenly and wrapped K in a hug.

"We won't let that loser touch you again. Don't worry." K was shocked for a moment, and awkwardly wrapped her arm around the girl while she looked at Logan who was nearly as surprised as K was at Jubilee's sudden affection.

"I'm not that concerned. He doesn't exactly hate me, he just … he wants me to _let_ him rape me, and well, that just doesn't sound like a fun Friday night to me. You guys know how to deal with him though, right? I mean ... there is a way, istn't there?" K asked as she looked up at Logan. Jubilee stiffened and pulled back from her hug, her eyes on the floor for a moment before she stole a glance at a deflated looking Wolverine.

"Yeah, we know how to handle him," Logan replied with a resigned tone as he looked at the calendar. "He's bound to show up sooner rather than later." K wrinkled her brow as she glanced from the calendar to him.

"What, you got a standing appointment?" K joked with a little laugh as she looked at him in disbelief.

"Something like that. Does he ever talk about other people he wants to kill?" Logan asked.

"Kind of assumed he wanted to kill damn near everyone. But no. No names. He was a real mess last time I saw him. He wore himself out when he beat the hell out of me for something someone else did to him," She replied in a conversational tone as Logan watched. His expression quickly became concerned.

"What do you mean? He takes it out on you if he finds you?" He asked, she nodded. "What did he do? Did he gut ya that last time? Maybe break an arm before takin' yer throat out?" Logan asked. K got a chill and looked at him wide eyed. She just nodded silently. Words could not find their way out of her mouth. Logan sighed, and leaned forward, before he rested his hand on her knee.

"I'm real sorry, sweetheart," he said, breaking it to her as gently as he was able while her heart fell. "Me and that sonofabitch go back a long way. That's what I did to him last time we tangled. I'm the one he lovingly calls the Runt." Her face went pale as comprehension hit her fully.

"Oh no. No no no no," She said, staring at him wide eyed as she began to slowly melt down. His stomach fell at her reaction. "Please tell me you're joking." The crushed look on her face had him reeling as he just shook his head no.

"I know what he did to the women in your past. He told me about it in detail. He showed me. The first time he saw my claws …" her voice choked up and she couldn't talk anymore. He crossed the little gap between the chair and the love seat before he started to pull her toward him. She struggled a bit to stop him ... her muscles tensed as her mind ran through some of Creed's fractured promises of torture and pain should he find a link between herself and the man she'd been in bed with since her arrival at Xaviers.

Ignoring her silent protests, Logan pulled her to him as she tried to get her head on straight. When she registered whose arms she was in, she automatically tried to push away from him, a touch of panic rising in her voice as the promises of pain echoed in her mind.

"He said he had plans for me if he ever found out that I knew you," she whispered. "I can't stay here. I have to go. I have to go _right now_. I'm sorry." Logan scrunched his brows together, clearly upset with the motivation behind her desire to leave suddenly. "I don't want to think about what he'll do if he finds out what we've done together." Logan's heart sunk. He kissed her head and just held her tighter.

She struggled harder for a moment then quickly gave up the fight to leave entirely when she got a strong whiff of his scent ... warm and rich at the crook of his neck. She took a deep breath and clutched to him. "I just started to like it here," she murmured into his shoulder. "I'm not so sure I've got you out of my system. I don't want to leave, but I think I have to now."

"Don't," he said quietly. She looked up at him sadly. There was no way it could be that easy. She let out a tearful chuckle.

"Don't think it's that simple, handsome," she said. "That simulation was based on how he goes after _you _I'm guessing? He's never attacked me like that. It's always an ambush if I'm not restrained. It's always sneaky. He doesn't give me a chance to face him evenly, and once he gets a hold of me, I don't have a chance. He's just so goddamned BIG." Logan smiled at her. She looked back in question, sure he'd lost it.

"You know what that means, right?" he queried with mischief in his eyes. "He knows if it was a fair fight, you'd win, and he doesn't want to take the chance that a pretty little thing like you would take him down." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"How flattering, and how full of shit." She said finally. He nodded.

"Like I said, I've known him for damn near as long as I can remember. He never gives a fair fight if he knows its a fight he can't win," Logan told her as he leaned in for a kiss. Just before his lips touched hers Jubilee cleared her throat.

"Hate to interrupt – but not really. Minor in the room and all ... but, why don't you have the Prof or Jean or someone scan your noggin and program in the 'tooth's actions against you into the 'puter. Might be able to find a way to fight him," Jubilee pointed out with her arms folded over her slight chest. Logan's eyes popped up as he thought it over. He readjusted himself to study K and kissed her deeply. Jubilee sighed as Logan broke the kiss and leaned into K.

"She's got a point," he whispered."I can help you find a way to fight him, AND I'll stay close. If he sees us together, he'll be so pissed off at me, you won't even ping on his radar."

"You don't know that," K replied as she assessed him and the way he was readjusting his hands across the fluffy towel that covered enough of her, yet the quick glance down at the white cloth made her blush before he met her eyes and nodded slowly.

"Believe me. Creed never misses an opportunity to get my blood on his claws," Logan told her quietly.

"I've never hidden behind anyone before. It's not right. Not my thing," she said. He shook his head with his mouth tightened.

"Not askin' ya to hide. You've just never had someone to help you. So let me help," Logan said earnestly. "I'm gonna end up fightin' him anyhow and kickin' his ass is kind of my favorite hobby." She thought about it a moment or two before agreeing. The thought of being free from Victor Creed hunting her down to torture, beat, and threaten her was very tempting. Her heart raced as soon as she'd made her decision.

"Charles. Let's ask Charles," K said as Logan finally released his grip, allowing her to break away to get dressed. He nodded then smiled at Jubilee.

"Good thinkin' kid. I guess spendin' some time with Scooter isn't the worst thing you've been doing lately," Logan said with a laugh as he gave Jubilee a squeeze.

* * *

As soon as K was decent, the two ferals went to talk to Charles, who was in the middle of having tea with Jean, the two of them laughing easily together. The laughter dropped off and Charles' expression went somber when Logan led K into the room.

"You've recovered from your poorly executed evaluation this morning. Remarkable. I think you may heal faster than Logan," Charles observed as she took a seat near Jean. Her gaze was down.

"I'm truly sorry that it went so badly this morning," Jean said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Scott won't ask you to go back in anytime soon. He feels terrible."

"That's great, Jeannie. But that's not why we're here," Logan cut in. "Turns out Creed has it out for her. We need one or both of ya to help program something more targeted for her."

"Why? You said it yourself, the simulation is as close to Sabretooth that you can get," Jean stated, her brow wrinkled as she took her seat next to Charles again.

"Yeah, it is – when he goes after me. Apparently he treats her different. We need it adjusted for his approach to her," Logan explained quickly. Charles looked at her thoughtfully.

"Can you show me what he's done?"Charles asked K gently, "I need to better understand how he could have an entirely different approach to one person. It's ... not like him to keep one style of attack for a single opponent. He's just not that ... specialized." K nodded, her eyes on the carpet in front of her. It did seem unlikely. Creed certainly seemed the 'find what works and beat it to death' type.

"You know that's not entirely true, Charles. He's actually gotten much more nasty than the program does when it's just Logan," Jean said thoughtfully. She could see how badly Logan was upset by the revelations he'd discovered already. Charles nodded and turned his attention back to the little brunette across from him, simply waiting for her word. Her eyes rose to lock onto his for a moment.

"You have my full permission to see anything and everything," K said with a shaky breath, "You too, Jean," she added. Charles noticed her hands shaking. He knew she couldn't be lying, but still he felt an apprehension on what it was that he might see. The tortures that Creed had inflicted on Logan were absolutely horrible. But with a woman ... the implications of something more damaging was not only clear, but very likely given Victor's record.

"Please, take my hand, and Jean's. Logan, stay close. She may want you when we've finished," Charles instructed. Nervously, K and Jean followed his lead.

"I want in. You can do that. You've done it before. Show me," Logan said looking grim.

K took a deep breath as she looked between Logan and the two telepaths and nodded her consent as she steeled herself. She wasn't totally comfortable with someone poking around in her head, let alone three people, but it would be worlds easier to just show them than to try to explain it all away. Jean squeezed K's hand, a small smile on her face.

"It'll be alright. It's OK. You're in good hands. That's what we're here for," Jean said quietly with a pitying look on her face. K wondered briefly if the woman was a bit of an empath before she decided to try and take control of this dog and pony show. It was her head ... her show, after all.

"Alright. Let's get this over with. Just ... don't be surprised at what you find, and don't stop until you've seen it all. I don't want to have to do this twice," K warned. Jean and Charles looked at each other grimly before Jean nodded.

"Just relax and clear your mind, K. We will do our best, but if I think it's too much for you, we will stop," Charles warned. "I simply won't take the chance at damaging your mind. Now, please, think of the first time you encountered Sabretooth." With a little nod, she closed her eyes and did her best to relax as Charles had requested.

A few minutes later, she found herself in a large flower filled field with Jean, Logan and Charles, the three of them all stood next to her. She looked around and Jean nodded to her, telling her to lead them to wherever it was that they needed to go. K let out a breath and started to walk while the two telepaths tried to decipher if this was K's mindscape, or memory. Logan simply followed. When they crested the hill, it was clear that it was a combination of the two.

As they made their way to the little building near the edge of a forest, they were all met with a slight sinking feeling. Just the sight of the dark, grungy looking bar brought back a solid memory of fear for her.

K was dressed in low cut jeans and a tank top that didn't quite cover her belly button. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a high pony tail and she was the lone barkeep in the place. Nothing special, just pouring drinks for the regulars, trying to keep it calm and friendly when a massive blonde man walked in and sauntered up to the bar. His long hair was pulled back in a ponytail and on sight, the three X-Men recognized him immediately as Creed.

"What'll it be?" she had asked him with a professional smile. He eyed her up and down with a leer and with an ill fitting grin asked her when she got off work. She gave him a no nonsense smirk as she took a step forward.

"Sorry, mister, I'm not on the menu. Can I get you something to drink instead?" She told him, as she set down the rag in her hand. Her tone was professional, without the tiniest bit of honey. He tutted and leaned towards her across the bar, though she held her ground.

"Just bring me somethin' cold and American, sweetheart – and keep 'em comin," he growled out with a wink. "Make sure I'm not thirsty and I'll leave a helluva tip." She nodded and turned to pull a frozen mug from the freezer behind the bar and poured him up something on tap.

She set it down in front of him before she asked if he wanted to start a tab. He nodded, leering at her as she started up a new sheet for him. She made it down the bar to take care of a regular when she saw the blonde had already drained his mug. Before he could raise his hand, she snatched up his mug and refilled it. He watched her closely as she set it back down in front of him.

"Let me know if you need anything else," K told him in a friendly tone.

"Will do," he rumbled as she turned and headed back down the bar. He kept up a quick pace for nearly an hour before she finally asked if he was alright. Without a pause, he tapped his mug.

"I'm fine, just keep up, girly," He growled out. Doubtful, she continued to pour him beer as the regulars disappeared one by one. After the last one left, he snatched her hand as she made to take his glass. She froze and looked up at him. He had a smirk on his face that was stretching into a lewd smile. She pulled on her hand a little and his grip increased. When she stopped pulling, he slid his hand up to her arm and slowly tightened his grip until the bones in her arm snapped. Wincing in pain, she reached up with the clear intention to pry his fingers off before he crushed her arm. When her free hand touched his he grabbed that wrist and pulled her over the bar.

"Looks like you're free to go now, pretty girl," He growled, as he pulled her with him toward the door and her feet tried desperately to keep her upright. He released the broken arm and she clutched it to her chest. She tried to get away from him until he wheeled around and viciously backhanded her for struggling against his grip. When he released her, she hit the ground and grabbed her broken arm. As she rolled onto her back, she pulled hard on her wrist to reset the bones, gritting her teeth as she did so. He stopped in his tracks to watch her struggle as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What did ya do that for, girl? You ain't gonna live long enough for it to heal," he rumbled as he lit a cigarette and loomed over her. He looked her over critically then froze, his mouth open as he watched the dark purple bruises on her arm disappear. Slowly his eyes slid up to meet hers.

A huge grin that didn't match his eyes lit up his face. All at once, she scrambled backward to get away from him but he grabbed her leg and pulled her closer. Without a stitch of warning, he threw his weight on her thigh, snapping her femur.

She screamed out in agony right next to his ear as she tried to push him away, the world swirling around her as he pulled her leg, resetting that bone too. He shred her jeans from her leg as he waited to see the bruise disappear on that break as well. When the dark purple-black marks began to fade, he started to chuckle. He pulled his arm back, but before he could strike her again, she punched him in the throat, collapsing his wind pipe. He fell nearly on top of her, grasping at her as she tried to avoid him.

She wriggled her leg out from under him as he gasped. The bruising around his throat was vanishing fast. Her eyes went wide as she realized how this guy drank as much as he did and was still upright.

She freed herself from him and made it out the door before he got his feet under him fully. He was on her trail in a heartbeat. She ran into the nearby forest, her legs pumping as hard and fast as she could make them move.

Panic struck her when she wasn't fifty yards into the woods as she heard him burst through the underbrush, roaring on her tail. She turned tail and took off again. In a matter of moments, he was closing the distance. She could hear him breathing practically in her ear.

He made a swipe at her, and ripped out a chunk of her hair and scalp, though he stumbled as he did so. She used it as a chance to really pour on more speed. She was getting ready to make a leap for the river when her foot caught on a tree root, and she fell face first into the dirt. He was on her before she could take a breath.

He roughly yanked her hands over her head and flipped her over to face him. He straddled her, perched on her stomach as he looked her over.

"You gonna play nice with me now?" he laughed in her face as his claw drew a line from the curve of her jaw down between her breasts before he slipped his hand under her bra. She squrimed under him and with a snarl, she mustered all she had and spit in his face. He growled and released her hands long enough to punch her, smashing her nose and cheekbones.

"Well then frail, I have just the place for you," he laughed, before he tossed her over his shoulder. "And you can bet you'll be wishin' you'd taken me up on my offer by the time they get started on you."

* * *

The walk back toward the bar felt like it took forever as she dangled nearly lifelessly from his shoulder. With every step he took, she was losing consciousness. She banged her head when he tossed her in the back of his hummer. Before she could get too comfortable, he crawled in over her, pressing her into the back seat under his substantial frame.

She couldn't remember feeling so small or helpless. Her head was swimming as he reached into the cargo area. He dug around before finally, he grabbed her hands and cuffed her. Her face was nearly healed and she started to sit up when Creed locked eyes with her and told her to stay down, but this time he accentuated his order with a crushing punch to the throat.

He'd hit her with force enough that it actually fractured her neck. She couldn't move and was gasping helplessly, choking on her own blood before Creed realized what the problem was. He pushed her off the seats, face down on the floorboards of the back seat and told her not to bleed on the leather before he slammed the door shut.

She stayed face down where he'd dropped her even after she'd healed. She tried to make a plan but long before she could find a brilliant solution it was over. After several turns and many miles, the hummer stopped. She heard his door open and slam, then the door near her feet open. He grabbed her ankle and pulled her out in one smooth, strong movement. She turned to run for it when she saw the dozen or so soldiers with rifles pointed at her. Creed chuckled, and grabbed her by the hair before he pulled her with him.

"Got one for Department K," he said to the sentry at the entrance to what looked like a concrete bunker. The sentry nervously made a quick call and the doors opened within a few seconds. Creed pulled her along the hallways – all of them looking sterile and dead. He shoved her into an elevator and stepped in behind her where he punched a button before wrapping his hand around her throat.

He curled his arm, which pulled her to him tightly so he could murmur quietly in her ear. "On the off chance you don't make my bank account substantially heavier ... you an' me are gonna have fun until you bleed out in my bed." The threat sent a shiver down her spine as he inhaled her scent with a low growl. She knew she was dead one way or another.

When the door opened, he dragged her with his nails puncturing her skin – K ran on tip toes just to keep up with his long strides. When he led her to a steel door with a high tech access he paused before he slammed her down onto the ground and put a foot in the center of her chest. He scanned his palm and retina before the door opened to a vast laboratory, all brushed steel and white ceramic. A bald man with a hook for a hand in a lab coat turned to look at him and smiled in spite of himself when he saw the bloodied little brunette.

"What have you brought me today, Creed?" he asked as he openly eyed her up and down.

"She's a fast healer. Thought you might find a use for her," Creed replied as if this was the most casual normal talk anyone could have. "Course, if you don't, that's fine too."

"Perhaps. Would you mind giving me a demonstration of her abilities before you make use of her talents?" The man asked.

"It would be my pleasure, Professor," Creed grinned maliciously as two more men in lab coats came and collected her from him. They stripped off her clothes, ignoring her protests, then hosed her off to remove the dried blood that had accumulated on her body from the beating Creed had already given her.

"We need a clean slate so we know what we have on our hands," The bald man explained to Creed when he'd started to growl. "You don't usually bring them in quite so ... rough." Creed just grunted something out about how she'd been unreasonable.

As soon as she was washed up, soaking wet and freezing, Creed was given free rein to hurt her. He repeated the beating he gave her at the bar, expanding on it where he felt it needed expanding – or where he knew she'd scream better for him. K fought back when she could, and landed some hits that were fairly impressive for a restrained, naked girl. It continued until Creed started to get carried away. His claws sank deeply into her throat as he sneered down at her wide eyes.

"STOP. That's enough. You've done well, Creed. You brought her in like you said you would," the man said, watching as even now the punctures in her heavily bleeding throat closed up. "Name your price." Creed smiled.

"Three times what the last one was, and I want to help with the testing on her, professor. I think I have some skills you could take advantage of here," he said, smiling while he reached down to cup her face in his hand. She was shaking in his grip. The professor's eyes narrowed, thinking it over.

"Done," he replied moments later. "We start tomorrow. Be ready at 9." He turned his attention solely towards the bloodied and shivering brunette. "Guards, put her in cell 78."

Two guards came forward, one held her hands while the other removed the cuffs. They led her to the cell and shoved her in roughly before slamming the door shut behind her.


	9. Memories Revisited

_cheshirecat - :) yes, yes he is. Thanks for the review!_

* * *

Surrounded in blackness and cold, the little brunette woke up. She couldn't tell if it was night or day or how long she'd been in the concrete cell.

Bright light filled the room, and she covered her eyes with her hands, wincing in pain. Before she could gain her senses, hands were on her, holding her arms tightly to her torso as the men tried to drag her from the meager cell.

She struggled hard, fending them off somehow until one of them brought down his rifle butt on the back of her head, knocking her into blackness.

When she regained consciousness, she was strapped to a cold stainless steel table, unable to do more than wiggle. What she presumed were doctors were all around, covered head to toe in white, masks and goggles over their faces. One of them alerted the others to her awakening then crudely put a piece of duct tape over her mouth just before they simply began cutting into her, two or three at a time. She screamed until she passed out, only to awaken to pulling as they explored her innards. The pain was so white hot, she couldn't focus on anything else, and as soon as one exploration was over and she had healed a little, they'd start another.

They gave her no recovery time other than what it took for her skin to seal itself. She was shaking uncontrollably by the time they'd decided it was time to stop. The same guards dragged her bloodied body back to her cell, before they uncerimoniously dropped her in the center of the room and slammed the door shut behind them. She didn't move until the door opened again. The time between memories was foggy – almost as if a haze had slipped into time.

The next time she _remembered_ them coming for her, she tried to keep them from grabbing her. She fought furiously until one raised his rifle and shot her in the heart twice. She fell to the ground, horrified and gasping, one hand over her wounds as they rushed in and dragged her out again.

That time, she was fully conscious as they took her to the lab. She felt sick when the bullets pushed themselves out of her body and hit the concrete with a clunk. They strapped her onto the same table as before, and she began shaking, her body automatically responding to the anticipated mutilation that was bound to follow.

Instead of surgical explorations though, two lone white clad figures approached her and injected her with some odd looking liquid, then simply stepped back and watched her. She looked at them nervously when suddenly, the liquid began to burn like fire in her veins. Her head swam, her eyes unfocused and her heart began to race. Her throat swelled nearly shut and she began panting. She was convinced she was going to die when it simply began to ebb.

When the color at the injection site and her vitals returned to normal, they repeated the process with a different injection. She went through all forms of near deaths, and many that just made her ill for a bit until they decided that they'd gone through all the injections they'd wanted to do, ending with testing how much of one particular drug they needed to give her to render her unconscious for a time.

Once that was determined, notes were taken, blood was drawn and she was returned to her cell, where she found a meager meal waiting for her.

After the day of being poisoned, she was understandably reluctant to touch it. She carefully sniffed at it, and decided that at least some of it was marginally safe, though if it was from good judgement or starvation, it would be hard to say. She wolfed down what she could and not long afterward, she simply began to drift off to sleep. It was hard on her body, all the healing with no rest. To add to the concerns, the longer she went without sleep, the harder it was to heal properly.

They repeated the process many times, never giving her a chance to become totally whole until they tossed her into a cell. Before long, she quickly realized that the cell at least, was a relatively safe spot.

Of all the twisted memories of tortures and experiments ... the day that haunted her the most was one where the memory was almost tinted with a wariness on everyone's faces.

In that particular memory, they took her into a room with an incredibly heavy door. The guards were dressed in some very strange looking hazmat suits that drew her attention.

They threw her in the plain looking room and rushed to close the two foot thick door as they left her with a small metallic looking object on a tiny platform in the center of it. She had no idea what it was, but she knew it couldn't be good.

Almost immediately, she felt odd as she stood in the room. The longer she stayed there, the sicker she got. She'd never felt like that before. Her stomach twisted on her and she was dizzy to the point of being unable to stand within minutes.

She began to vomit 15 minutes after entering the room and became hopelessly ill after being in the room for less than an hour. When she was flat on the floor, ill, twitching, and barely breathing, the signal was given to pull her out. The heavy door opened and a massive man covered in a lead suit that could only be Creed walked in quickly, grabbed her by the foot and dragged her out. He picked her up like a rag doll as soon as she was out of the room.

"Glad you weren't stupid enough to get too close to that damn thing, frail. Even we have to have a limit," He said to her quietly as he carried her down the corridor. For once, he gently set her down in a shower, where she was scrubbed down by several men wearing decontamination suits.

Her skin began to peel off as they scrubbed her. Her hair fell out and the vomiting continued, though now she was vomiting black, tarry looking blood. She was losing blood from both ends as her illness showed it's full force. One of the techs noted out loud that her bloody nose now had a bit of grey matter slipping out with the blood. She was in shock, on hearing it. She couldn't remember why, but she knew that had to be bad. She couldn't think and all over her skin were purplish looking burns where it wasn't bright red. She was seizing every few minutes.

In short she was dying. No one, not even Creed, came too close to her. And then slowly, she wasn't.

Weakly she lifted her head and watched the skin that had fallen from her legs begin to reappear. Everything hurt. She still couldn't think. Some time later, the men who had scrubbed her returned, repeating the job, she couldn't do anything to help them as they tried to decontaminate her, but at least this time, they moved her with their hands ... not the long poles they'd used before.

Her body felt as though it was made of lead, and everything ached sorely. She had no strength. She turned her head toward the nearest one, looking at him for a moment - too tired to even turn her head back. His eyes were wide as he stared back at her, still scrubbing her down. The look on his face was enough to make her just want to give up, so with a heavy sigh, she simply closed her eyes and hoped for death.

After more time passed, she felt strong arms lifting her, but she remained totally limp. Her head lolled as she was carried away from the sounds of the decontamination room. His low rumble as he spoke quietly clued her in that it was Creed that was holding her so gently.

Creed stayed with her when the he finally put her back into her cell. His actions were almost tender as he brushed her new hair out of her face and watched her nearly sleep.

"Would have been easier on ya if ya just died, girl." he said somberly, "They're happy with you, so it's not going to get any better now. Bet ya wished you'd just played nice with me now." She heard his laughter and his footsteps retreated down the hall as she lay still on the floor. But in her mind - no. She would still have preferred this to whatever bedroom games Creed had in mind for her.

The next time they came for her, they began by throwing her into a large metal room with an observation room attached above. As she turned around she spotted Creed, who lunged for her, and began beating her with no warning.

He retreated when told, and attacked with joy when allowed, brutally tearing into her. It wasn't long though before she began to fight back. When she did, she was darted then and woke up tied to another metal table, a device attached to her head that covered her eyes and ears. Something in the device drilled itself into her skull and began flashing images before her eyes.

When they threw her back at Creed, she knew a little more how to fight, and kept pace better, but still ended up bleeding and broken after every session.

It was here that her memory went very fuzzy. Hazy. Almost as if she was walking through a thick fog that Charles immediately recognized as memories that had been tampered with - erased or locked up, yet somehow she was trying to see them.

Her next clear memory was one of rage. She was naked still, covered in blood and savagely tearing into Creed. He'd already been knocked out and she was straddling his chest, pounding into his face with a rock with every ounce of strength she possessed. Breathless, she stood up and staggered backwards as a dart hit her in the back. She spun, as she looked for her attacker and lost her footing. She fell on her ass and slipped backwards as the drugs kicked in.

She woke from that one with Creed on top of her, making fuzzy sounding promises as he forced her legs apart. He'd found his way between them, and she began to scream in rage and fear as he undid his fly when he was hit with half a dozen darts. He snapped at her, missing her face by millimeters before he collapsed on top of her, growling as she tried to push him off of her. The guards finally did it for her, rifles aimed at her the whole time. Although she was completely compliant, as they dragged him away from her, she too was hit with a dart.

This time when she woke up she found herself clothed. They'd deemed him too tempted when he fought with her, and sought to fix the problem by covering her up. Only, it didn't fix it. It just gave him something to enjoy as he shredded her meager clothing.

Over the course of who knows how long, they tapped into her brain, reprogramming it with fighting styles they'd recovered from previous victims to their experimentations. When they were done, they thought they had a real promising specimen.

Until of course, they got a little too greedy and added in some of the programming previously used on both their biggest success and biggest failure. As soon as they tried to add in some of the fighting style they'd taken from Weapon X, it proved to be a perfect storm. The last time that they put her in with Creed, wanting them to fight, it all went terribly wrong.

Creed lunged at her, and she stood her ground until the last moment, when suddenly, unexpectedly, she somehow sliced him from neck to navel, gutting him and leaving him bleeding in a pile with a snarl. They went in to subdue her and were shocked to find that when they got too close, this tiny woman had three claws sprouting from the backs of her hands, ready to slash them.

"Get her down! NOW!" the professor shouted excitedly from the control booth as she went to slashing and gutting half of the guards in front of her, not stopping until she had two darts in her neck.

As she was fading out, his voice echoed the room.

"Finally, we have a second chance, gentlemen. Begin preparations for a bonding. You have 48 hours."

* * *

When she woke up in her cell, Creed was in it with her, glaring at her. He was on her in a moment.

"You rotten little whore – what is he to you?" he shouted, holding her head in his hand. She tried to shake her head, confused as he grabbed her hands and held them behind her back, pressing her against the wall with his body.

"That little runt," he mumbled to himself, "wait til he sees what I do to you," he snarled at her. "Don't matter what you are to him, does it?" She couldn't hold back anymore.

"Who the fuck are you talking about?" She shouted at him and he froze, eyeing her.

"Don't try to bullshit _me_ girl. You tell me who he is to you or I'll let them do what they have planned."

"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about!" she replied, terrified, but clearly not lying.

"You know, I have a thing about killing his women. It makes me happy." She was staring at him, wide eyed, completely clueless as to who the hell he was talking about. "It's fun."

"This," he said jamming his claws into her stomach then tearing out her throat. "Is how I killed his precious fox after havin' a little fun with her." She blacked out as she bled out, waking up to him smiling at her. "But that won't work on you, will it?" he said.

He continued to 'show' her how so many women had died at his hand. He finally left, telling her if he found out she knew him, he would make her beg for him to kill her.

He left the door to her cell open as he went. She took advantage as soon as she was upright, carefully scenting her way out, avoiding soldiers as she went.

She was well away from the complex when the alarm rose. She chose to run, not stopping until she was clothed and very far away as she cut off her hair and bleached it blonde in what appeared to be a house she'd broken into.

* * *

With that image, the mental bond between K, Logan, and the telepaths broke. The X-men before her looked shocked. Even Logan was taken back.

"He gave you to them," Logan whispered, looking at her. "Knowing what they'd do, he gave you to them." Anger and disgust were easily apparent in his voice. She nodded.

"I think we have enough to program a scenario. It's clear he likes to see you in pain, but that's not unusual for him. He's got to have a really dark fantasy in mind," Jean analyzed.

"Yeah, that doesn't make it sound any better. Kinda creeps me out more, actually," K replied. Jean nodded her head grimly. She thanked them, though Charles hadn't said a word since the connection had broken. She and Logan left Charles' office in silence. Logan took her hand in his as they made to leave the office and he mulled it all over.

Her memory showed that it was touch and go ... some sections they were only able to see flashes of missions ... spy endeavors if his guess was right. But none of it made any sense. There was no cohesion. He couldn't see anyone she'd worked with. No scents in her memory base to tip him off to who had done her wrong. Something else he was painfully familiar with.

When they started down the hall, she gave his hand a little squeeze.

"Go, take Jubilee out. She needs some time with you - I know she's been waiting for you." The truth was, after the day she had and the telepaths traipsing through her mind, she was ready to just sleep.

"You need to eat somethin', darlin'. Can't heal right without it." He replied, wrapping his arm around her as they walked. She shook her head.

"I can handle that on my own. She needs your time and I'm not going anywhere," She promised, kissing his cheek. They turned the corner into the kitchen to find Jubilee there with a large pizza in front of her.

"You guys took too long, so I ordered out. Want some?" Jubilee asked, holding out a slice to K.

"Thanks, but I'll pass," K replied, "I think ... I'll just head upstairs. You two need time and I've already gotten in the middle of it." She gave the little firecracker a worn smile and turned to go up to bed.

"NO!" Jubilee shouted, startling the over tired feral woman. Jubilee quickly lowered her tone before she continued. "I want to spend time with you too. Chloe and Zoe said you were really nice."

"Ugh," K said, pulling a face "Those two are going to have such a bad impact on my reputation."

"I know how that goes, isn't that right, ya little pain?" Logan laughed, ruffling Jubilee's hair. Jubes just stuck her tongue out at him. "Besides, you still need to eat something."

Slowly and tiredly, K pulled up a chair next to Jubilee, and just tried to zone out as Jubilee talked Logan's ear off. K nodded or shook her head as required when Jubilee would ask her a question.

After she'd eaten a little bit, her eyes started to drift shut, though fight it she did. Logan watched her starting to lose her battle and as her head slowly sunk to rest on her crossed arms on the table, he nudged Jubilee nodding his head to the woman falling asleep next to her.

"God help me for ever saying this out loud, but Wolvie, you have GOT to get that woman in bed." Jubilee said, shaking her head. Logan winked at her as he made to stand up.

"Took the words right outta my mouth, Jubes." he teased as he waggled his eyebrows and crossed behind Jubilee to gently pull K's chair out. Her eyes popped open a moment but she simply cooperated as she focused on Logan's face momentarily.

She leaned into him as he picked her up and wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him while he carried her bridal style up the stairs and to his bed. He stripped off her shoes and jeans before he covered her up and leaned in to kiss her.

"You, my dear, are a God among men," she mumbled as his lips touched hers.

"Don't you forget it. Rest up, I'll be back in a few hours," he told her as she snuggled in and passed out.


	10. History comes alive

_KJAX - thanks for the review! Glad you like her!_

* * *

Logan closed the door quietly behind him and quickly made a beeline for Charles' office. His silence earlier had left Logan uneasy after the exploration of K's old memories. Charles' voice beckoned him to enter as he reached the door. He was sitting behind his desk, his back to the approaching Wolverine as he looked out the window.

"What troubles you, Logan?" Charles asked as Logan walked up and leaned on the bookshelf near his desk.

"What do you think, Chuck? You didn't say a word after pokin' around in her head. What's your take?" Logan asked as he watched him closely. Charles let out a heavy sigh and turned to face his old friend.

"All they did to her - they accelerated substantially from the pace they used with you, didn't they?" he asked, his voice sounding tired. Logan nodded.

"Sure looked like it. They only did one or two tests at a time then threw me back in to heal. Took them months to do to me what it seems they did to her in what? A few weeks? Why'd they push her so hard?" Logan grumbled, anger coming off of him in waves. "And the radiation poisoning? That's new," he spat, disgusted.

"Yes, they were testing her for a purpose beyond simple weapon, I'm sure of it. But I don't understand the push. What had they planned for her?" Charles mused, fingers tented as he thought.

"We gotta shut 'em down, Charlie. I know you don't want to be a part of it, but it's just gonna be a matter of time before Creed shows up – lookin' for her or me, and when he does, he'll tip them off in a heartbeat," Logan said, determination in his voice. Charles nodded in agreement.

"It's a risk, yes. But it's one I'm afraid I agree we may have to take. K will be their primary target, but I doubt that they would pass up the chance to retrieve you if the opportunity was ripe, not to mention the temptation from every other resident here," Charles said, watching Logan's reaction.

"I'll talk to Cap. See if we can get them to get a little intel for us. May even want to lend a hand if he meets her," Logan said, pulling out a cell phone. Charles nodded, waiting to hear the verdict. When the call ended Logan's eyes locked with Charles. He said it out loud, though Charles already knew the answer.

"Cap'll be here in a couple days. He's starting the intel search. With luck, we may get the Avengers on our side here. That program was supposed to be shut down years ago," Logan said.

"You know it wasn't, Logan," Charles said quietly. "You know my concerns there. Losing the investment they had in you set them back significantly, but you _were_ a technical success to them. The failure was their inability to keep you under their thumb." Logan sighed and nodded as he looked down. He knew Charles was right, even if he didn't want to think about it that way. Logan turned to walk out. There just wasn't anything else that could be said at that point. Not without more information.

Charles was of course, concerned for all of their safety, but he couldn't help but wonder about Creed. Something the others had glossed over was his gentle touch when she was severely injured.

Was it the manner of how she'd gotten so badly ill that had him so uncharacteristically careful with her, or was it something more? It was clear the psychotic mutant had a soft spot for the little woman. He tried to mull over Creeds contradictions, but soon found himself having to abandon the possible meanings.

He was sure Logan either hadn't picked up on it, or was so outraged at how they'd treated her, he had canceled it out in his mind seeing how vicious he'd gotten when Creed had suspected a link to Logan. He had to admit, whatever kindness she'd received before, it was going to be all bets off when Creed discovered her current relationship with Logan.

* * *

Logan slipped into his room quietly, not wanting to disturb the woman he'd been growing so fond of that was sleeping in his bed. He stripped down to his boxers and slid under the covers. Her eyes fluttered open and she turned toward him as his weight moved the mattress. She slid her hand across his tightly muscled stomach and pulled herself to him just to kiss him gently over his heart. He rolled her over onto her back and began showering her with tiny kisses.

He worked his way from her jawline to her ear, then down her neck, across her collarbone and trailed his way to over her heart as he caressed her breasts. She started to pull him up to where she could see him when he slipped a knee between her legs. She hitched her free leg over his hip and kissed him as he rose to meet her. She was wiggling out of her shirt when there was a knock at the door. Logan groaned softly in complaint and dropped his head between her breasts.

"This better be good," He said with a growl as he turned his head to nip at her breast, getting a smile from her as he did so.

"Sorry, Logan but we have an issue with Jubilee. She's gone," Scott said, his voice echoing slightly in the hallway.

"Damnit," he hissed, looking up at K's face, finding concern there at the news of Jubilee's disappearance. "Jeannie have any luck on her?" he asked as he quickly disentangled himself from K's surprisingly long legs.

"Yeah, she's off the grounds, probably 50 miles to the north east of here," Scott replied through the door.

Logan was mumbling to himself as he got dressed. He swore when he looked to the calendar with a frown.

"What is the deal with that damn calendar?" K finally asked when Logan checked it for the second time as he pulled his uniform on and zipped it up. She got up as he dressed and slipped a pair of sweats on to follow him.

"My damn birthday's next week," he grumbled as he pulled on his boots. She was utterly confused at his answer.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" she asked as she followed him out the door.

"Creed's a week early," Logan replied as he turned to her. "Stay here. He's usin' her as bait. I don't want you getting in the middle right now." He jogged down the hall with Scott as she stared at their retreating backs. She only waited a half second before she took off behind them.

"I'm coming with," K told them just before she broke off with Jean as they rushed to the underground levels. Jean looked at her, unsure.

"Is that a good idea?" Jean asked before handing her a uniform. K nodded grimly.

"Logan said Jubilee was bait. My question is if it's to bring Logan there, or to lure him away? Besides, I will die killing that sonofabitch if that's what it takes. If he's violated her …." K drifted off, her jaw setting as her nostrils flared. Jean understood K's fire and the two women grimly made their way to the blackbird where the rest of the team had already gathered. Logan stood at the door clearly only to block her entry.

"No. I don't want you anywhere near him, K. You're not cleared for missions with us yet either," he said, his tone unyielding and final. He moved his arm and let Jean onto the jet before he stopped the little brunette again. K narrowed her eyes at him before she tried to push his arm out of her way. She couldn't move him. He blocked the way further and shook his head as he looked in her eyes.

"Out of my way, Logan," K warned, her tone just as final as his. He shook his head.

"I'm tryin' to protect you," he said, a tiny bit of pleading in his voice.

"I'm getting on this plane," she countered, the edge in her voice much clearer. "Don't make me hurt you." He smirked at her threat.

"You can't hurt me, darlin'," he said, not intending his tone to be so condescending as he reached up and slid his hand into her hair. He caressed her cheek with his thumb. She blushed deeply as her anger rose in her cheeks as her hands tightened into fists. She could feel her temper boiling over.

"Last chance, lover," she half whispered, half snarled at him as the engines fired up.

"I'm sorry, really I am," he said, in a genuine tone of regret as he made to take a step back.

"Let her on, Logan," Jean said "She can help." Logan glanced over his shoulder a moment, then brushed Jean's logic off. When he turned back to K, her expression had changed from livid to very calm, apologetic even as she slid her hands onto his shoulders and leaned in for a kiss, only to grip his shoulders hard and knee him in the groin.

He doubled over, his chin on her shoulder before she pushed him onto his back and stepped over him and closed the door behind the both of them. Once the door was soundly shut and the engines began to fire up, she leaned over him to look him in the face, anger back on her features.

"I'm sorry, really I am. _But I said I'm going,_" She growled out to him. She paused and knelt down to kiss him quickly on the cheek before she hastily took a seat next to Jean.

A few minutes later, Logan stiffly took the seat across the aisle from her, glowering at her until she finally turned to face him.

"You didn't have to do that," he growled out, truly irritated with her. She reached over and rested her hand on his knee.

"I really am sorry about that. But you wouldn't listen," She replied as she let out a big breath. "You said that Jubilee was bait. For what exactly? Is he luring you there to fight, or to get you away from the school?" she asked him. His anger melted away as he thought it over.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But I don't think he really puts much thought into it." She shrugged, her hands open.

"That's why I'm coming. If he's scouted, he knows I'm here, and not to take away from your feud, but he broke his pattern, right? How often does that happen?" Her argument was reasonable. He shook his head.

"You're not ready to fight him," he said, though he looked a little worried. She smiled and stole a kiss.

"I'm not going to. I'm just going to be _your_ bait," she said cheerfully with a smile. Logan immediately started to protest, but Jean cut across him.

"She has a point. I'll stay with her. Scan for him, and hit him with a psy-blast if he gets too close," Jean said in an attempt to sound nonchalant as the three of them hashed out a plan.

"What about the rest of us?" Scott asked from the pilot's seat. "What do we do?" Logan looked shocked. Was Scooter really handing over the reins to him on this one?

"Spread out in pairs. Keep your eyes open, and put him down if you get the chance," Logan directed. Scott nodded in agreement, only then did he throw in his two cents.

"Storm, you're with Gambit. Rogue with Iceman, Colossus with Kitty, Beast you stick to the jet, and I'll go with Wolverine. That alright with you, Logan?" Scott rattled off. Logan looked at K a moment, weighing it out before he quickly grunted out his approval. He covered her hand with his, then drew her hand up to his mouth, to kiss her palm. Jean looked at her, nodding for her to go to him with a little blush. He pulled her into his lap, and nuzzled into her neck.

"Don't let him touch you," Logan said quietly. She nodded her head.

"Oh, don't worry about me. You getting nervous, big guy? Your heart's beating real fast," she said, looking him in the eye. She could smell the anxiety on him and she could tell it wasn't his normal pre-mission stance. He pulled her face to his and kissed her passionately. He leaned his forehead on hers when the kiss ended, his eyes still closed.

"I might just be fallin for you, woman. Don't go and die on me now," he said very quietly. Her heart fell a little. Why did he have to tell her now? When it all could go wrong so easily.

"Well, I might just be falling for you too," she replied just as quietly. She kissed him in return with all the passion she had for him, looking into his eyes when the kiss ended. "But on the off chance this all goes south, Happy Birthday."

He looked sick for a moment as he slid her off his lap into the seat next to him.

"I'll expect a present from you in the mornin'" he said gruffly, the catch in his voice giving away his mounting tension. Their hands entwined until the plane landed a short time later.

The team fanned out in pairs, Logan and K going in opposite directions, both testing the wind, K hoping not to find him, Logan wanting desperately to be the one who did. It was Jean and K however, who found Jubilee.

She was tied up, hands over her head, dangling from a tree by her wrists. Her head hung over her chest limply, blood was all over her tattered clothing and bruises had bloomed across her delicate features. Jean let the others know silently that Jubilee had been found and where to find her but K was on edge as she scanned the clearing. She was frustrated that the wind had died down around them making sniffing Creed out impossible.

A few minutes later as Jean pulled Jubilee out of the tree to assess her injuries better, Storm and Gambit appeared. Gambit stood near K, scanning the area, looking out for any sign of the monster. Jean sent out a little mental query as she looked for anyone outside of the group. Suddenly her eyes popped open.

"He's here – and he's close," she said, looking around as she waited for the chance to blast him. Gambit charged a handful of cards, ready to assault the entire forest if need be. Storm made the winds rise up, looking to K and gently shifting them, trying to give her a chance to sniff him out. K nodded at her, then closed her eyes and stretched out to her full tiny height to inhale deeply.

_Jean_ – she called out mentally, _I think I found him. He's off to the west a bit. I can smell Logan and Scott to the north-northwest, I think Logan is tracking. Where are Iceman and Rogue?_ Jean looked behind her before answering.

_They're behind us, coming up from the south-east._ K nodded then pointed to the direction she knew Creed to be, cluing in the rest of the group. She needn't have bothered though as a few moments later, the sound of snarling erupted from that direction.

Bellowing, snarling ferocity, trees breaking and occasionally the sound of Scott's beams broke through the fray - always followed by an angry bellow from Creed. The fight was getting closer as Rogue picked up Jubilee and took her to Hank and the jet. The rest of the team spread out to wait for them to break through the clearing. When they did, Sabretooth was more crazed than any of them had ever seen him, even Logan.

The two were locked together, their claws buried in the each other, neither willing to retract, both hoping the other would just bleed out. Wolverine's cowl and a large portion of his uniform was torn off, blood covered most of his body.

Creed was in no better shape. His clothing was shredded similarly, and blood dripped from his soaked hair. Scott came up behind them and motioned for them to spread out in a circle around the two and help Wolverine when the opportunity presented itself.

On seeing the X-men in the clearing, and his bait gone, Creed got madder somehow and just started to clench his fingers within Wolverine's belly causing the smaller man to scream out as Creed shredded his guts. He did the only thing he could do to retaliate – he began twisting his claws in Creed's chest and side as he made Creed scream out in agony to match Wolverine's.

Still, neither would yield. Creed pulled one hand free from Logan's back. He tore out a kidney and shredded his throat with his teeth before Logan could retract a claw. With a sickening gurgle, Logan's body went limp and Creed threw him to the side, stomping on his stomach and groin, just trying to mutilate. Scott shot over his shoulder and Creed turned to the circle of X-men around him as he assessed the situation. He looked satisfied and ready to just run when his eyes locked on K and widened. He all but froze before he licked his lips clean of Logan's blood and turned to face her.

"I thought I smelled you on him. You better pray his scent isn't _in_ you," he growled as he stalked towards her, completely ignoring the near full team of mutants around him. When he was a few good paces from Logan's body, they all struck.

Gambit's cards flew as everyone's hair stood on end from the forthcoming massive bolt of lightning Storm fried him with. Before he could pass out, Jean blasted him with her full force, knocking him out as he hit the ground, unconscious and smoking. K skirted around him and ran to Logan's side. He wasn't moving at all. She leaned over him, listening for a heartbeat. It was quiet, but there, as was a very soft gurgling as he tried to breathe. Tears came to her eyes as Scott rested his hand on her shoulder. She felt horribly guilty and blamed herself for his condition just from Creed's little jibe before the X-Men gave him what for.

"He's come back from worse. Don't worry," Scott told her in a very gentle tone as he tried to be reassuring. Jean used her TK to lift his body. She floated him to the jet while Bobby brought Scott a set of strange metal gloves that slipped over Creeds' claws and a muzzle. The overall look seemed to really match the maniacal psychopath he was. They dragged him back with them and loading him into the cargo area, where he Scott put his 'boyscout' status to use and tied him tightly.

Meanwhile, K found her way to Logan's side. She started to help clean him up, unable to do more while Hank continued to attend to Jubilee. When they landed, she stayed with Logan as most of the team hauled Creed to a cell. Scott said their purpose was to keep him there until S.H.I.E.L.D. could retrieve him.

Hank gave K a chair next to Logan, and kindly gave her permission to remain with him. Jubilee had awakened on the jet and was mostly cleared by Hank before they hit the ground. Scott and Jean went to debrief her on how it happened, and if she knew his motives were more than just his yearly birthday wish for Logan.

K was sick to her stomach as she watched Logan ever so slowly knit back together. Her heart jumped into a panic when his gurgling got louder. She jumped up and looked him over carefully as she tried to find the cause of the decline. Hank appeared at his side a moment later and meticulously looked him over.

"Disturbing as it is, that is a good sign. He's getting more air now," Hank said gently before he patted her hand that was clutching on to Logan's. The sounds he was making were horrible and had her on edge. Hank seemed to be right though as his healing seemed to speed up considerably with the increased air. She started to drift off when the gurgling became quiet again. She leaned her head on his hand as she sat next to him. Not long after dawn, she woke up with him stroking her hair gently. Startled, she looked up, worry on her face as he smiled back to her.

"Logan, I'm so sorry..." she started to say but he waved it off, urging her to come closer. She carefully sat on the edge of his bed and leaned over him when he grabbed her and pulled her to him roughly only to kiss her deeply.

"Did he touch you?" he whispered, his voice raspy. She shook her head no as she stared into his icy blue eyes. He nodded and leaned back into the pillow. "Let's get outta here," he rasped, before he slid his legs off the bed. She rushed to his side, ready to help him if he needed it, but as soon as he was upright, he was rock solid.

His battered appearance gained a few looks from curious newer students as they made their way up the stairs. He pulled her into his bedroom and unzipped the uniform she still wore as he kissed her before he pushed her back towards the bed. She was taken back by his borderline aggressive tone. When she fell back onto the bed, he grabbed her boots and yanked them off. She shimmied out of the uniform, their eyes locked as he removed what was left of his yellow and blue, revealing a lot of dried blood underneath that she didn't think to clean. He was on her quickly, ravaging her, his hands everywhere at once.

"Logan – I'm not going anywhere," she said breathlessly as he nibbled her neck and caressed her roughly. He paid little attention to her suggestion before pulling her legs around him. He settled in between them with a growl. He was already aroused and ready to go when she pulled his head off her neck to look him in the face.

"What's gotten into you?" She asked him. He smirked, kissed her then began sliding kisses lower as he answered.

"Been a rough day. We were interrupted, and then you kneed me in the balls, followed by that jackass tearin' out my throat. I just wanna make love to my woman," He mumbled as he continued nibbling on her neck. Her eyebrows popped up.

_His woman? Oh hot damn._ She thought as he worked his magic and completely submitted to him. She kinda liked this more aggressive tone.


	11. Everything goes South

_KJAX - you make me blush. Thanks for the kind words!_

* * *

Deep in the underground section of the Xavier Institute, Sabretooth was finally waking up from his encounter with the X-Men. He looked around the fairly comfortable quarters they'd provided, seeking out where the exit was.

Last time it was a breeze. Push the barrier and let it zap him until it just gave out. He smirked to himself. Stupid goody two shoes actually took the bait. He pulled his boot off and shook a small metal device out onto the floor. As he picked it up, he laughed a little to himself before he pressed a button on the end of it and stuck it under his bunk. He'd teach that little bitch to run from him.

He leaned back and relaxed knowing it would just be a matter of time before his employer sprung him and snatched up the runt and his little whore. Just thinking about her both pissed him off and turned him on. They'd promised to give her to him if the tests didn't work out. He was mad as hell when they did, and beyond livid when she gutted him with those damn claws. If it weren't for those fucking claws … he shook his head.

Plenty of time for dealing with her later. First, he'd get to break the runt. Watch him lose it while they finished up what they started with her, then he'd make sure to get a piece of her ass when she was a little less breakable.

He smiled, hoping that he could do it with the runt being forced to watch. The thought got to him and he focused on it with an air of anticipation. Yeah, that's the way it'd go down. And when he was broken up about all they did to her, then the real fun would start.

The professor had promised to wipe Logan from her mind entirely. That would seal the deal. He looked at the clock outside of his cell. Wouldn't be long now.

* * *

Logan's eyes popped open. He looked around wildly while his heart felt as if it was trying to pound right out of his chest. He looked over at K, who was sitting up next to him, her eyes were wide and fear was plain to see on her face. They looked at each other and wordlessly scrambled out of bed as Logan screamed for Jean in his head. They had frantically pulled on enough clothing to cover what was necessary then they ran from his room. Jean was at the door of her room, looking frazzled as they approached her.

"I don't understand ... Logan what's going on?" Jean asked alarm in her voice.

"Choppers, Jeannie …. a bunch of them – they're not far off either. Get everyone up and out. NOW!" Logan instructed as K rushed down the stairs, Logan on her heels. He spun her around by her elbow when they reached the bottom.

"Where the hell d'you think you're goin'?" he asked. His voice was stressed, but it didn't outwardly show – easily stuffed down from years of dealing with this kind of bullshit.

"Do you have any weapons?" K asked with a stony look on her face. He shook his head and nearly relaxed when he realized she wasn't running out on him.

"Not something we keep around," he replied as she started pacing. The hallway erupted with quiet disorder as the students began to stream past them to the lower levels, funneling to their planned escape routes, and escorted by the staff of the Institute. Charles approached the duo quietly.

"The children will be clear in a matter of minutes. There are at least a dozen units on their way. We should leave," Charles said looking up to Logan. "ALL of us."

Logan looked irritated as he told K to go with Charles before he turned and walked the other way. She watched him take a few steps before she got angry.

"And what the hell are you doing if the rest of us are supposed to slip out?" She yelled at him, her panic started to get the better of her.

"Just go on ahead," he said with his face blank. Remy had taken her hand and started to pull her with him. She yanked herself from his grip and ran up behind Logan and grabbed his arm.

"You can't stay here alone – there's too many of them. Please!" she pleaded. From nowhere, Gambit and Scott walked up behind her.

"She's right, Logan," Scott said. "You can't do this alone." Logan scoffed.

"You gonna drag me out?" he asked, challenging him.

"No, that would make sense. We're going to go the monumentally stupid route and stay to help you. The last thing we need is for those people to brainwash you into killing the good guys again," Scott replied, only to surprise Logan to silence. He simply blinked a few times and nodded his head once.

"I tink dat's mebbe his way of sayin' merci," Remy teased. The sound of the choppers was unmistakable in the distance now even to Remy and Scott.

"Alright, we need a plan," Scott started "Any ideas?" They looked to each other a moment as Bobby trotted up.

"Kids are all out. What are we doing?" He said, a little winded. Logan started to smile. They might have a chance.

"They'll probably have heat sensors. Bobby, figure out how to shield us from them," Bobby nodded and opened a window. He quickly encased the entire building in a solid foot of ice. He left only two entrances as Scott continued. Remy stuck near Logan while Scott and K trekked off to a different area that Bobby had left cleared for an entry.

Bobby started to head to his place as Jean ran up to him, breathless but ready to join him. She concentrated hard and linked up all of them so they could keep in silent contact.

The sound of commandos trying to sneak through the halls sounded like elephants to the rest of the group through their connection with Logan and K.

As they got close to her, Jean gave them a psychic command to basically forget all of their training and orders. The result was a solid platoon worth of heartless mercenaries that had no idea who or where they were. Some actually looked frightened at the other groups of men sneaking through the building. There was some friendly fire on their part, and a small group of them died at the hands of their comrades.

Scott and K had slipped down a hallway when she grabbed him and pulled him into an empty classroom. She covered his mouth, and peeked out the crack in the door as they were just missed by a small group of men traveling through. Scott was smirking at her when she removed her hand. She rolled her eyes at him but before she could turn back towards the door, Creed burst through it.

* * *

Logan had lost his patience and had started shredding soldiers as soon as he smelled Creed loose. He hadn't found him yet, but he and Remy were making a heavy dent in the soldier's numbers. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Creed as the maniac ran hard for the exit.

He had K slung over his shoulder, her hands and feet bound. She appeared to be bloody and unconscious. Logan began to panic as he sliced through anyone that was in his path between he and K until he burst through the door behind Creed where he was hit.

Heavy fire opened up around him and before he could make more than a few steps, he was on his knees. Bullets had punctured him and had ricochet off his bones as they tore him up. Blood was everywhere. The troops that were inside came up behind him and shot him from all sides. Before he knew it, he lost the battle and passed out in a pool of his own blood to the hail of gunfire.

* * *

Logan woke up in a metal cell. He was stripped down and covered in sticky not quite dry blood. Shaky, he got up and tried to see across the blackened hallway. Across the way was another cell much like his with a naked figure on the ground. He squinted hard as he tried to see who it was when Creed's voice echoed in the hall way.

"Glad to see you up, Runt. Going to make this next part that much more fun. Didn't want you to miss it." He laughed as he walked towards Logan's cell. Logan tried to pop his claws into Creed's face on the other side of the bars but simply couldn't – instead, a sharp pain rang up his arms. He looked down and realized he was wearing the same kind of restraints Scott had put on Creed.

Creed just laughed at him. With a shuffling noise, the naked figure across the hall started to move.

Both men stopped what they were doing and looked over in time to see the figure sit up, and for Logan to realize it was K.

His jaw locked and he reached through the bars. He managed to wrap his arm around Creed's throat and hauled him back against the bars with all his strength. When he tried to pull himself free from Logan's stranglehold, Logan braced his feet on the bars. He utilized every ounce of strength and weight he had to strangle the bastard. As Creed realized he was still losing to the runt, a shot rang out and a dart hit Logan in the neck. But it didn't stop him. He kept choking Creed as more darts hit him. Creed had quit struggling and gone limp, but Logan kept a tight hold on him even as he started to drift into blackness himself.

When he woke up again, he was chained tightly, muzzled and totally immobile. He blinked hard, trying to shake off the haze as he began to look around. He wasn't in the cell anymore. Steel tables, medical equipment and a tank of greenish water were scattered all around him. He could smell something hot nearby too. Foggy, he looked around as he tried to concentrate. The voice of a ghost from his past snapped him out of the haze.

"I really don't know why I agreed to this, Creed," he started, before he looked towards Logan with a stony expression. "Gentlemen, it appears that Weapon X is now awake. Cornelius, are we ready to begin?" the professor's voice echoed in the vast room. "Hines, be sure that we are recording – if Creed is correct, we'll need the footage later when we start his reprogramming."

He turned to Logan, cold hatred on his face. "You've set us back years, but I _will_ have my weapon. One way or another." Logan growled in response as the professor turned his attention elsewhere.

The professor was talking to a crowd that Logan hadn't realized was there until he'd addressed them. They were seated high above the lab in observation rooms filled with high ranking military from around the globe.

He could hear translators relaying the information the bald lab rat was saying if he tried to listen. He didn't bother however - already fairly well versed in the long and short of it. He looked around him again as the professor spoke, happy to ignore his long winded sales pitch. His eyes finally froze and focused on the tank in front of him. K was in it.

Wires and leads covered her otherwise naked body. Her skin was punctured with some odd looking heavy needles. His eyes widened as he had a bit of a flashback ... only he'd never seen it from this angle ... only from inside the green liquid. His eyes darted around the room as realization sunk in fully.

It was a goddamned demonstration.

He looked to her head where an oxygen mask was on her tightly, maybe too tightly. Her hair floated in the liquid like gently drifting seaweed and her eyes were closed. The protrusions on her face made him wince. He looked back down her body as his heart raced.

She looked totally peaceful and unaware. The fingers on her hand nearest him twitched as he looked at her and he quit breathing for a second as he made his second big realization. They were going to make him watch.

He began to struggle as he tried to find a way out of his bonds. It was then that the professor turned to him, casual in his explanation to the crowd of the tie between the two. Several of the military men started to nod their head in approval as they waited to see the big show while Logan panicked. He could hardly wiggle. A large hand slipped up under his jaw and held his head facing the tank as the machinery started to warm up. A second hand steadied him, it's owner made sure he couldn't move away or turn his head from it.

All at once, it happened.

The professor gave an order and a loud buzzer echoed in the room as the feed began.

K's eyes flew open and she screamed silently, unable to move as the water around her boiled. She tried to struggle, but got nowhere with it, her hand was flat against the glass as she tried to pound it. Her back arched as she tried to get away from the searing heat that was invading her.

There was no warning but for a muffled pop followed by a bloom of blood in the water when one of her eyes popped from the extreme heat. She writhed and screamed so loudly and intensely that some of the scientists nearest the tank, and Logan, could hear her, even with her underwater.

Then, all at once, she simply went silent and her body stilled as the weight of the metal they'd poured into her little body sunk her down in the tank. The monitors showing her heart and respiration were flatlined. Logan's eyes were locked on her, as he held his breath. Minutes ticked by as the entire room just stared at the woman in the tank. Logan began to shake the slightest, sure that she was dead. Then, against all odds, the heart monitor began to beep.

Logan broke. Tears leaked down his face and his shoulders slumped as the beeping became more even.

Relief and horror hit him in equal parts. She was alive. She was alive, but they were going to ruin her. The professor turned his attention back to Logan, his expression triumphant and gloating.

When he saw how Logan was reacting, he smiled ominously before he nodding to Hines. Her cue that she could stop the recording. He had absolutely everything he needed. He signaled for them both to be returned to their cells as he continued his sales pitch to the impressed military men above.

They threw Logan back in his cell, though they didn't bother to untie him from his chains. As far as the guards were concerned, this one was best left like he was.

He watched as they dragged K back to her cell. She was still and looked lifeless. They dropped her on the floor and closed the door behind them when they left.

Hours passed before she started to wake up. Her pained moan caught Logan's attention. He called out to her and she turned slowly toward him, clearly tired and worn out. He noted that her eye had not yet grown back.

His anger began to rise quickly. She was hurt worse than he was after the bonding. She was still bleeding and simply was not healing fast enough. It was then that Creed made his appearance. He scowled at Logan before he turned to K.

"Hurry up and heal, girl. You and I have a little fun planned," he purred at her as he passed by. Logan was beginning to shake in rage as tears began to trickle down K's face. She tried to sit up, but it was just too damn hard to do.

"Logan," she began, her voice shaking. "I can barely move. Everything's just so heavy," she said weakly. He was silent, not knowing what to say, but remembering well how helpless he felt right after his bonding. "I can't stop him this time," she barely whispered, sadness echoing across the hall as they both knew what lay ahead.

"I know. Don't worry about it right now. Just rest," he finally replied. "He doesn't have permission to do anything until you're whole, or he would have already," he said grimly. She nodded in the darkness, her eyes heavy as she simply passed out again.

Logan couldn't relax. He couldn't even consider sleeping. Every time he drifted off from exhaustion, the image of her writhing and screaming would appear or he'd see Creed violating her, making it so he could hardly close his eyes without seeing something he wished had never happened or never would happen.

During one of the times he did sleep though, Creed came back to kneel down next to the bars of her cell door. Her eyes were barely open as he whispered what his plans were for her in nauseating detail. He promised her that Logan would die and she'd have to watch. He reached through the bars and she tried to move away from him, but she still simply couldn't move a muscle. He chuckled as he left her there, tears silently streaming down her face as she soaked in the misery he'd promised her. She drifted off like that. Helpless. Hopeless. Broken.

After God only knows how long, she woke up again, finally whole. At least, both of her eyes were there and working. She made to sit up, and found that it was terrible work. She was _so_ weak. She wasn't sure what had happened to her. All she knew was she had her ass handed to her more thoroughly than she could ever remember. She looked across the hall to Logan, who she was surprised to find was watching her.

"What happened to me?" she asked as she found her way to her feet slowly. _Good God, even this is work,_ She thought as she leaned against the wall and panted.

"Pop your claws, sweetheart," Logan said quietly. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow in question. Her nerves caught up to her suddenly. He nodded to her, as if to say 'go on' and doubtfully, she did as he told her to. She stared at the shining metal protruding from her hands in awe before her hands began to shake as she slid down the wall again, clearly in shock.

"I'm so sorry, darlin'," Logan said sadly. She looked at him harder now and realized he wasn't just sitting strangely, Indian style, but he was bound that way.

"This is all my fault," she said, her voice wavering. She looked around her cell, then across the hall again. She realized that his cell looked odd. "Why is your cell different?" she asked as she tried to wipe the half dried tears from her cheeks.

"Coated in Adamantium. Kinda stupid, seeing as I'm tied up tighter than a damn drum," he half grumbled. Her eyes widened as she tried to gain her bearings and her mind raced.

"I'm in concrete," she whispered. He looked up at her, his eyes widened as he caught up. There was hope for her. He leaned forward and tried to look up and down the hallway.

"Are you getting around OK?" he whispered back. She shrugged and tested out walking with the extra weight. It would take a little getting used to, but she thought she'd be alright. She looked around her cell, then decided now was as good a time as any. She tried out her claws and carved out the concrete like it was soft butter. She tried the bars on her door – plain steel. No problem. She sliced the door and let herself out and right over to Logan who was already shaking his head.

"Run! Just get outta here!" he whispered. She ignored his urging her to ditch him and stuck her claws through the access panel on his cell. It partly worked, as it broke the lock on the door but it also set off an alarm. She cut the chains they had him in, which at least made him mobile. She couldn't do anything about his gloves, but if they could get back to the X-men, that could be handled easily. She helped him to his feet as Sabretooth's roar echoed in the hallway.

"Tell me you can run," Logan asked. She wasn't sure, but she nodded and the two of them started to run. Both knew that he was just a warm up and the guards would be behind him armed to the teeth.

In the end, Creed caught up to them just outside the outer doors as the heavy bomb door closed behind him, effectively sealing the guards into the complex while they had to wait for the system to reset. Creed took little time before he had a hold of Logan. He pounded him mercilessly as Logan fought with all he had. K had fallen. She was out of breath and she desperately tried to compensate for running with the extra weight.

Logan had landed some solid hits, but without his claws bleeding Creed out, he was unable to keep up with him blow for blow. Creed had Logan on the ground and sat on his waist as he pounded him. It wasn't long before he realized Logan was dazed and barely able to lift his arms in a weak defense.

A wicked smile drifted across Victor's face as he decided he'd choke the little runt out - payback for earlier.

He had his hands around Logan's throat and without a word uttered, he simply began to squeeze, all of his weight pressed down on Logan's neck as Logan's hand drifted up. He weakly tried to pull Creed's hands away as Creed's focused hatred cracked into a satisfied smile.

A vessel in Logan's eye popped and made the whites of his eye brightly bloodshot as his body tried to find air. His face turned purple and his grip on Creed's arm slipped as he began to black out.

On seeing Logan losing his battle, K panicked. She threw herself at Creed with no regard what so ever for herself. She jumped on his back and began to punch him anywhere she could reach as she tried to draw his attention off Logan. He stopped smiling, when he realized the extra weight in her arms and hands were making her hits far more substantial then before the infusion – strength missing or not, it was akin to hidden brass knuckles.

Inspiration struck him and he reached around and slammed her down on her back. He pinned her by the throat and let Logan go for a moment as he turned his head toward K. Logan was gasping heavily, unable to move to defend her as Creed climbed over her and undid his fly.

"I've been waiting years for this," Creed growled out, though K wasn't sure if he was talking about killing Logan or screwing her. In a last ditch effort, she tried to squirm away as he positioned himself. She struggled against him with all she had as Logan weakly swung at Creed.

When he had her where he wanted her, he reached back over to Logan and clutched his throat tightly. His fingers clawed up and forced him to turn toward the pinned down girl as he forced himself on her.

The very idea of it ... let alone having to see it right in front of him had Logan's adrenaline rush and he fought harder, only to have Creed squeeze his throat more. The end result was that Creed choked the air and the fight out of him. Creed's breathing became ragged as he got closer to finishing. He couldn't believe his luck. He'd get to screw the girl and kill the runt at one time.

Both K and Logan were struggling – K still unused to the weight she now carried as she panicked and lost focus, and Logan was simply unable to breathe.

Suddenly, Creed's hand on her wrists let loose and slid down to hold onto her hip. glanced at Logan then back at Creed, whose eyes were half closed in his pleasure as he started to speed up just before she swung her arm up. At the last moment, she released her claws and removed his head from his body. His grip instantly let loose on Logan, who managed to weakly kick him off her.

In shock, she rolled towards Logan as she cried silently and he gathered his strength for a moment, even as he pulled her to him, and tried to nuzzle her.

They helped each other up and with Logan coughing, they headed into the woods. He lead the way, never once letting go of her hand as he guided her deeply into the woods. They crossed an icy river and found a place to hide. Several hours later, they watched as a platoon of soldiers rushed past – the patrol was looking for them as they huddled together hidden in their cave. They hadn't gotten nearly far enough away yet. He silently peeked out of the nearly invisible cave, watching as fresh snow began to fall outside. For now, they were safe – relatively speaking. Weapon X didn't have them. They were alive. But he still had no way to use his claws or teeth and K had already begun to show signs of severe trauma as she shook, though she felt warm.

He could only hope that Charles or Jean were looking for them. The more unresponsive she got to her surroundings, the more he realized she'd need some guidance.


	12. Aftermath

_cew1088 and KJAX -Thanks for the reviews! cew ... hang in there. You're getting ahead of me a bit. ;)_

* * *

Logan watched from the mouth of their cave as the troops finally headed back to the hidden base ahead of the snowstorm that was building outside. It was warm enough in there even without a fire as long as the wind didn't blow directly into the mouth of the cave.

K was huddled into a ball, her arms around her knees, still in shock from everything that had happened. She'd run with Logan in silence as far as he was willing to push her, unable to answer even the simplest question he threw at her in his attempt to keep her sanity as they trekked through the woods.

He had gotten increasingly more concerned about her mental state as they trekked on.

When the blizzard picked up outside, he went to where she laid in the far corner of the cave. She was wet, shaking and was finally getting cold.

He looked around them, swearing to himself for not just killing a couple soldiers so they'd at least be clothed before he promised to warm her up as soon as he knew the last patrol was gone. He urged her to try to sleep off the trauma of both the adamantium bonding and the rape while Logan waited for the opening of the cave to blow shut.

As soon as it was closed, he slipped down to her, and spooned her – nothing more than an attempt to share his body heat with her. She stiffened when he first touched her, but relaxed a bit as he spoke to her and squeezed her tightly as she settled into him.

She stirred a few hours later and woke Logan easily when she moved.

"Where are we?" she asked thickly. She broke free from his arms and sat up to stretch, her tongue didn't want to work properly, her head pounded and her body ached from every angle.

"Not entirely sure. Montana, I think. That's where they were testing out of last I knew," Logan replied, tired from the fiasco and more than a little concerned for her. Weren't rape victims usually in shock? Or was that her attempt at denial?

"Are you sure?" K asked as she turned to look at him, her arms crossed over her middle and her shoulders hunched over. He thought of the Native and how things had ended for her near a cliff not far from where he was once again hiding from Weapon X with a feral woman. Grimly, he nodded his head in the low light. He looked toward the entrance to the cave. The wind was howling outside.

"Now what do we do?" she asked quietly. Her hair had partially frozen to her head from the river crossing which had thankfully washed away all the blood the pair had lost and spilled, and had mostly washed away Creed's scent from her. Not that it wasn't burned into K's nostrils. He pulled her closer, and wrapped himself around her as he tried to both warm and reassure her.

"We should warm you up and make a run for it in the storm. They won't be out in it. Too hard on them, and the choppers can't fly in this mess," he told her as he stroked her back. She wove her arms around him, and shyly kissed his shoulder before she leaned her head on him.

"I'm sorry, Logan," she said flatly. He picked his head up, and looked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"What the blazes for?" he growled out.

"Creed," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have attacked him without a plan. Or ... maybe I should have just stabbed him." She felt guilty for what had happened to him, as if doing something else might have had a different outcome. Why the hell hadn't she just cut him to start with instead of trying to punch him?

"Stop it," he growled. "Not your fault that he raped you. I should have stopped it." She fell very still then lightly shook her head no. She couldn't get the words out. He was so wrong. Creed meant to kill him, and he had to know it. "I'm sorry, darlin. I promised to protect you and I blew it. Shoulda just done the right thing and ran with the rest of the mansion instead of tryin' to stop them." His voice was quiet. Anger seemed to clear her head a little.

"_No_. Not your fault," was all she could manage through her clenched teeth and tears blurring her vision. Her voice shook out of anger. He nodded and gently tipped her neck to the side and nuzzled her as best he could with the muzzle still on as he whispered out _'OK. OK,'_ Her hand drifted up to his face, and she delicately ran her fingers over the device as she blinked away her angry tears.

"How does this come off?" she asked as she inspected it in the low light. He chuckled at the look of concentration through the tears.

"Beats me. Cyke would have to tell ya," he replied. She ran her fingers along the upper edge of it before she slipped her hand into his hair.

"What's it made of?" she said, as she thought out loud – honestly to herself more than to him. She leaned closer to it and examined what she could of it.

"Why? You feelin' brave?" he asked as he cocked his eyebrow up, hopeful and yet, really not wanting to pressure her.

"Not particularly," she replied. He nodded and popped one claw. She brought it nearer to him, then froze up, clenched her hand into a tighter fist and retracted it as her hand shook from the cold or nerves or likely both.

"I can't do it. It feels – weird," she spit out. "Which I know has to sound totally stupid to you." He took her hand in his and brought her hand closer to his face, smirking under the muzzle. He knew exactly what she meant.

"Let me do it if you're nervous," he said. "Go on, sweetheart, gimme one," he said as he covered her hand with his. When she did, he maneuvered it towards his face and gently touched the edge of the new blade on the muzzle, testing it. As luck would have it, the claw slid through it easily. Logan's eyes brightened.

"You're going to have to slip it between the muzzle and my neck. Don't worry about cutting me," he told her. She was nervous as she followed his instructions. When it cut through, he wrenched it off and tossed it away. He looked back to her with a grin on his face as he pulled her to him and hugged her tightly then kissed the sense out of her. When he finally let her up for air, she stared at him breathlessly.

"What was that for?" she breathed out. He grinned at her in response.

"For bein' alive, an' bein' you," he said somewhat joyfully, "Killin' that piece of trash had to be the highlight of the day." She blushed deeply in response and averted her eyes for a few moments as he simply took her in, grateful that they'd gotten out. Even if they weren't entirely free of them yet.

"How long were we there?" she asked as she rubbed her hand on the beard he now wore.

"Not too long. Grows in fast," he answered, his smile turning predatory as he pulled her close, their bodies dangerously close. Her pulse picked up and a sharp pang of fear hit her hard.

"Doesn't it bother you?" she asked as he pulled her leg over his hip and she started to stiffen up further.

"What?" he mumbled as he continued to pepper her with little kisses. His whiskers tickled her neck.

"That I … that I let him -" she choked up, unable to finish her thought and he stopped his carnal assault, his heart sinking for her. He lifted his head to look her in the eyes.

"You didn't let him do anything. Don't let him change you now," he said seriously before he kissed her deeply. When the kiss ended, he repositioned himself to lay next to her and pulled her close, simply holding her. They laid there like that, with him wrapped around her protectively until both of them fell asleep.

* * *

Silence replaced the howling winds and Logan's eyes popped open. His head whipped towards the entrance and he cursed the metal coverings on his hands that kept him from letting his claws fly to protect her. He stalked toward the entrance and waited, listening for any tip off as to if they were alone or if Weapon X had caught up to them.

He glanced over his shoulder toward the still curled up K then turned back to the entrance and gently began to poke through the snow until he could look outside. He beckoned her to come with him as the hole opened up. He stuck his head out and a grin broke across his face.

"That solves a few problems," he said as he dug out more quickly. The blackbird was waiting for them at the bottom of the mountainside in a clearing of fresh snow. They started down the mountain. He held her hand as she stumbled her way down. It wasn't until they were clear of the cave that she afforded a look around her - amazed at the wall of snow that Storm had kept swirling around the clearing, the goddess herself hovering ten feet off he ground, her arms outstretched and her eyes fogged over. She was in awe of her.

When they reached the bottom of the valley, Scott smirked as he greeted Logan with a blanket in his hand that he held out to him. Logan glanced toward the still naked woman behind him before he rushed forward and snatched it from him. He jobbed to take it back to wrap K in, who was shivering heavily as Logan picked her up. Hank had another blanket at the top of the steps, ready to assess the woman who Logan was carrying bridal style toward the waiting blackbird.

Scott quickly got them airborne as Hank checked over K and tried to talk Logan into setting her down to wrap his own blanket around himself.

"She's cold, Henry," Logan protested as he clutched her bare body to himself, not ready to tell them so candidly all that had gone on. Not until she could fall asleep. Hank nodded before covering them both as she shivered heavily in his arms.

The flight back was uneventful. After a little while, K stopped shivering which caused Hank to quit hovering over the two of them. She sighed a little and relaxed in Logan's arms as she finally fell asleep, her arms wrapped around his neck. It was clear she was totally unwilling to let him go.

When they landed, K was still out. Reluctantly, Logan wrapped her in the blanket and handed her to Hank who was surprised by her sudden weight gain as the two shared a grim look. Logan got dressed quickly and stuck to her side when Hank set her down in the hospital bed.

Blood was drawn, tests were run, but he didn't want to release her until she woke up and could answer some questions. Predictably, her tests came out fine.

When her eyes finally opened, her heart monitor ran wild. Before Hank could get to her side, she'd already torn off her leads and IV and was nearly in tears. She backed away from him before she recognized there was no threat coming from him. She bumped into Logan who had come in to see her. She panicked when she bumped him and jumped away from him as he lightly touched her arm. When she realized her mistake, she simply went to the ground in a slump. He sat there, holding her head in her hands and shook in her flimsy hospital gown.

"Sweetheart, come on," Logan urged gently. "Let's get you outta this lab and dressed." He wrapped his arms around her as he tried to help her stand, and steady her. Silently she went with him and did as he asked.

Charles had watched her little meltdown. He had been with Logan, having just finished hearing what he was sure was a condensed version of events and was just behind him when K had bumped Logan and panicked. The terror she was broadcasting was palpable. There was no thought to it, just pure fear. Unlike Logan though, her first inclination did not seem to be to fight. She was looking for a way out.

* * *

Charles saw her about a week later, curled up in the library, book forgotten at her side as she stared out the window. She was troubled, her arms were wrapped tightly around herself and her knees were drawn to her chest and resting her head on her knees.

"I haven't seen you in a while, K. Have you been hiding?" Charles asked quietly as he joined her. She picked up her head and looked at him a second before her eyes fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as her knuckles turned white while she clenched her fists in the fabric of her jeans. She was sorely depressed and showing all the signs of a person that had endured recent trauma. She had all but decided that she had overextended her stay and she was currently trying to decide the best direction to disappear. Of course, she'd been trying to decide that for over a week. She just couldn't figure it out. There was no clear escape. By her best estimate ... there was nowhere she could dream up that was safe. She knew sooner or later, she'd end up locked away in a cell, or dead.

Charles could see her incertitude was the only reason she hadn't simply disappeared. He saw it as a chance to try and save her from what was certain to happen if she left.

"Would you join me for tea this afternoon? You don't have to talk about anything. I won't intrude, but I am concerned for you, and I am always here if you would _like_ to talk," Charles said, very gently, knowing he had to try to convince her to stay - at least until she was stablized and Logan could come to terms with her disappearing on him. For her to leave now would do as much damage to him as it would to her. She seemed to think it over for a bit before she nodded her head and released her grip on her jeans. She slowly stretched out her legs.

"Thank you," she replied finally. Charles touched her hand gently, and gave her a little squeeze.

"I'll see you at two, then?" he asked as his eyes twinkled. She nodded again and swung her feet over the edge of the window seat as Charles left her to gather herself.

She sighed and kept her eyes on the floor. She was isolating. Logan had been incredibly patient with her, understanding as she shut him out completely. She hadn't slept in his room since the first night after their return.

That last night they'd gone to bed, and he'd spooned her. He kissed her neck as she drifted off, but when she woke up a few hours later with his arm over her waist and felt his breath on her shoulder, she panicked. She'd pushed away from him, and was backed against the wall, her claws were out and she was trembling uncontrollably until she realized who he was and she melted to the floor, crying in shame.

He tried to comfort her, but she just felt so guilty at her reaction towards him. Ultimately, she couldn't do that to him again. She didn't return to his room the next night, and had avoided him since then. She was heartbroken. She'd felt something special with him – something she hadn't felt for anyone in longer than she could remember.

And like a psycho, she was wrecking it with her paranoid reactions. He told her he would help her. He promised that his door was open for her whenever she was ready – he didn't want to push her. She thought she was losing her mind.

She couldn't sleep without him but alone in the dark ended up being very bad for her too. She would close her eyes and be back in the cell.

Sleeping with him was nearly as bad. She'd move in her sleep and feel him against her or his arms holding her would trigger a different panic mode where all she could hear was Creed's lusty breaths in her ears as he held her down.

She was a mess, and hadn't talked to a soul since the last time she was in Logan's room. To top it off, she had become quite jittery and she could not sleep.

Charles suspected much, if not all of this. He knew that Logan was acting in a similar manner, though not as severe. He too couldn't sleep.

When he closed his eyes he saw her in the tank, heard her screams and watched her agony that he knew all too well. For him, it was that, paired with the helplessness he felt when Creed had pounded him mercilessly then choked him nearly to death making it impossible for him to protect her. Her face when Creed violated her was what haunted him and he placed the blame for it squarely on himself.

They were both heartbroken, and that was where Charles hoped to heal them both.

He knew K had been avoiding Logan out of a misplaced sense of guilt, and he hoped that she would stop if she realized he felt so much like she did - both of them had an over developed sense of responsibility, after all.

K arrived at Charles' office right on time. She'd changed out of the jeans and baggy sweater she'd been wearing, opting for something more formal – a long black dress and a dark gray cardigan. He smiled, complementing her as she took a seat next to him.

Through their time together, her eyes rarely left the floor. They simply sat in his study, sipping their tea. Charles was careful to keep to his promise of simply keeping in her company if that's all she wanted.

He observed that she'd lost weight since her return and her cheekbones were more prominent. She'd lost some of her natural beauty and her vibrance was completely gone. Her eyes looked sunken and darker, her cheeks were hollow and her lips thin. Her hands and wrists looked thinner, more bony. Her collarbone was much more pronounced.

Charles had to stop himself from gasping as realization hit him. She had quit eating. Anger and pity choked him up as the weight of it hit him. He'd never dealt with a mutant that had simply given up. From what he'd been told by the teen girls she'd travelled with ... this simply wasn't her.

She'd pushed everyone away, and instead of running, she was just waiting to die. He looked at her cup and noticed that she really hadn't drank more than half a cup in the half hour they'd sat together. He brushed her mind gently to try to determine if it was a conscious effort or if she just was uninterested in trying to do what was necessary. To his chagrin, he found nothing but a profound numbness in her mind. The corner of his mouth tightened as he weighed it out. Perhaps it was unintentional then. She was still in shock, or maybe it would qualify at that point as PTSD. She glanced at the clock, their tea time was nearly up. Before she could say anything, Charles smiled at her warmly.

"Thank you, K. I do hope you'll come back again tomorrow. Same time?" He asked, gentle smile on his face, as always. Her eyes drifted to him slowly and she stared at him a moment then nodded in agreement, thanking him quietly as she rose and left the room.

Once she was gone, he set his jaw and he called for Logan, who was slow to respond. He entered his office without a word, looking meaner than he had in months. Three steps in the door, he stopped, closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath, a nearly agonized expression lit on his features. He hadn't expected to smell her there. When he opened his eyes, the pain there was fresh, and slowly replaced itself with anger. Charles didn't waste any time with him.

"Do you still love her?" Charles blurted out. Logan locked eyes with him, his jaw clenching. What the hell kinda question was that. He didn't recall saying he loved her to anyone. Yet -

"What difference does it make? She doesn't want me," he growled out, hurt apparent in his voice. Charles smiled kindly as a small measure of relief washed over him.

"You are wrong, my friend. I need your help. I know you said you didn't want to do it, but I need for you to show me what happened while you two were in captivity. I need to see _all of it _in order to help her, and if all works out, you as well," Charles said evenly but with a confidence and urgency that Logan couldn't misconstrue. As Charles had predicted though, Logan shook his head.

"Why don't you ask her? It happened to her, I was just a damn bystander," Logan replied. Charles' mouth tightened into a grimace and he tipped his chin down a hair.

"She is too fragile for me to simply look without her total cooperation." he told Logan honestly, his tone was velvety.

"What do you mean?" Logan asked, his concern for her overriding his heartbreak at least momentarily.

"She isn't well, Logan. Her mind is numb, overpowered by guilt, trauma, and heartbreak." Charles informed him. Logan sat down with a concerned look on his face."That's not all either. I do not believe she's eaten anything since your return," he finished as he sent Logan a mental picture of K from their tea time. Logan looked sick.

"Come on, Charlie. She's not that bad, is she?" he asked, looking for a lie on the telepath's face. "She looks like she's killin' herself."

"I'm sorry, Logan, she was likely already working overtime to recover from what they did to her, and I needn't tell you how much food is required to keep a regenerative healing ability working properly when there's been an injury," Charles said as he watched him process what it meant. He didn't have to wait long for his cooperation.

"Fine. Just … do it already," Logan said as he let out a breath and closed his eyes. Shame washed over him as he anticipated Charles' reaction to all that Logan could only witness. Charles took a moment before he began and tried to prepare for anything that might come from this session.

When they were finished, Charles closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose as Logan tried to control the emotions he'd just relived, up to the last night they spent together. He could now fully understand why Logan was so hard to be around lately. He thought he'd found a potential mate ... but now she was doing everything humanly possible to avoid everyone.

"Thank you, Logan," Charles said genuinely. "We're having tea tomorrow at two. Please, make sure you see me an hour before." Logan looked at him strangely.

"Any reason, Charlie?" He asked, eyes narrowed.

"I'd like to see if she has the same reaction you did when you walked through the door and picked up her scent," Charles replied frankly. He could find no reason to try to cover his intentions from Logan when it came to the little feral woman.

"You think she still cares?" Logan asked, doubt in his voice. He was in disbelief when Charles nodded his head.

* * *

_Two o'clock._

K let out a breath and knocked on the tall mahogany double doors. On hearing Charles' invitation to enter, she turned the knob and steeled herself to tell him she wasn't going to come to any more tea times. Today would be her last. But two steps into his study and her hand flew to her chest as Logan's scent filled her head.

_Oh God,_ she thought as her heart ached suddenly._ I miss him. _

Charles tried hard to hide his smile as he caught her thoughts and the deep emotion attached to them. Slowly she made her way to him, reveling in the fading scent of the one she wanted but felt she couldn't have. Surely, she was too damaged for him.

Charles kept it light, though K couldn't sit still. He didn't push her, but he did try to talk to her about the goings on around the mansion. Concentration was incredibly hard for her.

She found herself nodding as Charles asked if she could show him what happened to her while in captivity. Blinking, she tried hard to remember why she'd agreed as Charles delightedly asked her to relax. That was a laugh itself. She didn't know _how_ to relax anymore.

Fortunately however, she was so worn down that getting into her mind without harming her was a simple endeavor. He asked her to guide him through the events.

Her perspective was a different world to Logan's. He saw Logan's face as he strangled Creed through the bars, then just fuzziness until she awoke during the bonding process – her memory there nearly identical to Logan's bonding – obscured by the green water an intense feeling of isolation and being alone. Helpless. That alone would have given her more than enough trauma to last her. But he also saw something Logan didn't.

The taunting in her cell after the bonding while Logan was unconscious. The awful things Creed told her. The horrible promises of what he'd do to her while forcing Logan to watch. The promise that she'd be nothing to him when Creed was through with her. The promise Creed made to kill him once he'd taken K as his. The horror when she thought he was making good on those promises. That wasn't even taking into account the fighting, the running and her perspective of the rape, which was mind crushingly traumatic on it's own.

Charles was surprised to find that she paid little attention to what Creed was doing to her at the time, too horrified that Logan had to watch as Creed made good on at least one horrid promise.

The rage that grew so quickly for her the second she had a chance to change it was breathtaking and her quick action that got Logan breathing again was a moment of pure relief for her.

It was only then when Logan kicked Creed's crushing weight from her that she realized the impact of the rape itself. It was hard to ignore though at that point. His strong scent had clung to her centered on the slickness between her legs.

Something he hadn't considered was her viewpoint of Logan at that time and how he felt at a severe handicap at what Logan was thinking since she could only really see his eyes. The muzzle covered too much as he chose the path they'd leave on. She couldn't tell what he thought. Where his emotions were. Not to mention all the normal thoughts rape victims have that flooded and overwhelmed her.

She blamed herself for not stabbing Creed instead of trying to pull him off of Logan. She blamed herself for not fighting harder, ignoring the fact that she could hardly run and lifting her arm, let alone swinging it was tremendous work, unused to the new weight she suddenly carried.

Then, just before he broke the connection, he found she felt guilty for how she'd reacted to Logan's touch when they were alone. Guilt for how she'd hidden from him and avoided him. Guilt for her fear of being alone in the dark, because what dreams she had that weren't flashbacks were twisted versions of reality, where all of Creeds' promises had come to fruition and she was only left with Logan's bloodshot eyes staring at her lifelessly. Guilt for the fact that she wanted to die.

Charles handed her a tissue as she tried to not cry after the connection broke. She needed this. To see she had people were there for her and cared about her.

"Please don't leave he Institute. He misses you terribly," Charles said. Though it really just caused her to have a new wave of guilt crash down on her. "I can help you if you let me, K. And if you want him, I know he will gladly take you back." She shook her head, tears falling freely now.

"I don't think he would. How could he? I'm damaged goods now," she said sadly. Charles brow pulled together.

"No man has the power to change a woman fundamentally simply by forcing himself on her. You are damaged, but not in the manner you think. You need to talk about this. To anyone. Get it out, though it doesn't seem like much, talking about it will help you to get over it. Don't let this horrid experience define you," Charles said, authority and experience in his words. "Don't let it stop you from loving the man that loves you and wants you."

She weighed his words, and found some sense in them, and as Charles was aiming - hope.

"Come in," Charles said clearly. K looked towards the door in confusion, sure she didn't hear a knock. Logan stepped in and quietly closed it behind him. He locked eyes with her as they looked at each other and her heart ached for the sadness she found there. Sadness she caused.

"Don't do that," Charles said in a low whisper as he squeezed her hand. "Don't entertain those thoughts." He motioned for Logan to join them, and he did. He pulled up a chair showing he didn't want to give her reason to run from him ... he left her with space between them.

"I'm sorry, Logan," she said quietly. He waited, nervous about which way she'd go. "I hope that you'll maybe give me a chance to explain myself. I'd understand if you're through with me though." His face relaxed, and he took her hand.

"I'm not goin' anywhere, sweetheart." he told her before he kissed her palm. "I've been where you are. Mostly. I won't give up on you." She smiled, relishing his touch. "I do have one condition though," he said seriously. "Don't shut me out again."

She readily agreed seeing as missing him was so much worse than she thought as he pulled her into a hug. His scent enveloped her and brought her comfort.

Charles smiled to himself. That was much easier than he'd thought it would be. She agreed to talk about it, but she said she felt she needed a woman's perspective. Her choice was not one that either man could have guessed.


	13. One Step at a Time

_Thanks for reviewing, KJAX!_

* * *

K took a deep breath as she lifted her hand to knock on the door leading to the attic of the Xavier mansion. K didn't know Storm well, but she did know that she'd been championing womens' causes with the teen girls that stayed and learned here. She only hoped that Ororo would be willing to help her too – or at least be a sympathetic ear as she spilled her guts.

The stunning dark skinned beauty answered the door with a smile that fell completely when her eyes rested on the tiny, gaunt woman before her.

"K! What's happened to you? You look ill! Please, come, sit!" Ororo exclaimed as she practically dragged her to a chair. "I haven't seen you lately. How did this happen? What's wrong?" she asked her, Suddenly Ororo felt a bit guilty for not having checked on her earlier. She knew the little woman was going to need help. She just assumed Logan had it covered.

"I need - " K started to say, trying to grasp the words. "I need a friend, and I don't need a telepath pushing ahead of me right now, unless I ask for it." Storm tipped her head, confused at her formal approach. "Charles told me I need to talk to someone, but I can't talk to him or Logan. A man wouldn't – couldn't – understand." Storm closed her eyes with a sigh. She had hoped this wasn't going where she thought it was.

When she was younger, Ororo had made the mistake of catching a ride with a stranger who nearly raped her. It was in her panic as she struggled against the man to get away that she accidentally killed him. It scarred her heavily and made her very reluctant to take another life, but it also caused her to have a bit of a lifelong aversion to strangers. Particularly men she didn't know well. She reached out and touched K's arm, trying to reassure her, but not entirely sure how to go about it.

"What happened, K?" She said in a soothing tone, concern etched on her features. "Was it at the facility?"

K nodded, her eyes on the ground as she swallowed and slowly began her story. It was a rough start ... and at first, she didn't understand all that she was saying ... but by the time she was done, Ororo was horrified, not only for K and the damage it had done to her, but also for Logan.

She knew it must have been the worst kind of torture for him to be unable to help someone he cared for. They talked for hours. When it was over, both women had tear streaks down their faces, and amazingly, K felt a little better. She even decided to take Ororo's advice to ask Jean to put her into a dreamless sleep.

In truth, she didn't know the red head could do such a thing. When their time came close to ending, Ororo noted that K suddenly looked a bit more nervous. She guessed at what had her concerned and she promised to keep the details of K's story to herself. K let out a sigh of relief. She didn't want the looks of pity that were bound to come when the group as a whole learned about what had happened.

On seeing her clear relief, Ororo quickly gave her a tight hug and warmly invited her to see her at any time day or night. Her genuine kindness gave her some hope as she bid her goodnight and slowly made her way to see Jean, slightly more anxious with each step.

It was still too early for many of the adults to be in bed and Jean was no exception. K could hear her laughter dancing up the stairs, so she followed it to find her joking with Scott and Rogue.

However, when Jean saw K, her laughter stopped and her eyes widened in horror. It seemed as though K had done a fairly exceptional job hiding herself away those past few weeks. Jean did almost exactly as Storm did at first. She silently observed her as she slowly made her way into the kitchen. K was leaning on the counters for balance.

Scott and Rogue were just staring at her when she finally came to a stop near by. They were both speechless at how much tinier she looked suddenly. K didn't waste her time though. She cleared her throat a bit to speak, but she could barely get the words out as she talked to Jean.

"Of course I'll help you sleep, K, but my God – are you even healing?" Jean asked in a very motherly tone as K clutched her stomach when a wave of nausea hit her hard. K shrugged in response, unable to answer the question as she hadn't really been injured since their return, so in her mind, she had no way of really knowing.

Jean delicately picked up K's hand and after a quick inspection, she pointed out that her nails were a silvery blue-gray color. K wrinkled her brow at the news. She simply hadn't noticed. She wondered vaugely what exactly that meant while she looked at the odd coloring and Jean placed her hands on K's head as she tipped her face up to look the smaller woman in the eyes. Jean had dropped all pretense of politeness when she realized how bad off K really was.

"When was the last time you ate anything?" Jean asked. The alarm in her voice was plain for K to hear though the redhead probably thought she'd hidden it well enough. K didn't answer the question. It wasn't that she was being difficult – she just couldn't remember. It didn't trouble her too badly though seeing as she could hardly remember how she'd gotten to the kitchen.

Jean looked displeased with her lack of response. "I'm sorry, but you're going to see Hank. I know you don't like it down there, but you can't heal if you don't eat." Jean told her in an authoratative tone, heat clear to hear in her voice.

"I haven't been injured. How the hell am I supposed to know if I'm healing?" K asked. Her frustration and anxiety came quickly, a side effect of her self abuse, and she suspected, a product of people treating her as if she were a child due to her short and slight stature.

"It's the adamantium, K," Jean said, truly irritated now, though the little feral couldn't know it wasn't really directed at her. "You have around 80 pounds of it you're carting around now. It's toxic. You've broken down your healing factor. You've got heavy metal toxicity." She shook her head as K hung hers lower and she nodded for Scott to help her get K down to Hank when suddenly, K put her hands up towards him.

"Don't touch me. _Don't you dare touch me,_" K half growled out to Scott as Logan walked in. Logan quickly assessed the scene then he turned toward Jean as he glanced between she and her husband.

"What's going on, Jeannie?" Logan asked cautiously, not sure of how to approach the situation without knowing all that had just transpired. With a heavy sigh, Jean rubbed her temples.

"Her healing factor is shot. And she's got adamantium poisoning. All of it probably because she's not eating anything," Jean said quickly. "I was telling Scott to take her down to Hank _for treatment_."

Logan looked to K, who at the moment looked torn between wanting to tear Scott a new one for what Jean thought was simply trying to help, and pure anxiety. Logan knew she didn't want to hurt Scooter though. She was simply terrified at the promise of spending time in a lab. Even here, most of her lab time had been spent with her being restrained. He looked at Jean knowing full well that she didn't understand what the problem was. To them, their lab was nothing like the labs he and K had spent time in. She was right ... but she was also wrong.

"Wouldn't it be smarter to get Hank up here – OUT of the lab?" Logan asked as he looked at Jean meaningfully. For a split second she looked at Logan like he was totally nuts, but when he projected to her both his viewpoint of the tank she was in complete with her screaming, and his own experience, she paled, understood immediately and went to retrieve Henry herself.

Logan gently sat K down, knowing full well when he looked at her that Jean was totally right. She needed to go to the lab. He didn't understand how well she'd been able to hide it in Charles' study. But how to get her to Henry's without triggering another trauma though was not an easy task.

Her wounds were still fresh and vivid in her mind. Scott handed her a mug of tea, trying to make amends, but it was clear the little feral was triggered simply at the threat of a lab. Logan watched carefully as K picked the mug up and cautiously sniffed it before she slowly raised it to her lips, only to abandon it quickly when her stomach clenched up on her. He sighed. This ... this was not good.

Celia and Hank walked in a few minutes later without their lab coats on. Jean had asked them to take all precautions to avoid upsetting her. They sat down near her at the table, and Hank gently took her hand. He examined her very much as Jean had done. His touch was feather light as he looked at her eyes and gave a quick general exam. He quickly came to the same conclusion, though he did ask a few additional questions before giving her his prognosis.

"There are two ways to approach this," He said gently, with his hand resting on hers ever so gently. "You won't like either option though, I'm afraid. Option one is that Celia hands me the injection I have in my bag that will counteract the adamantium poisoning. If we do this, you must _immediately_ start getting some food in your system," he said firmly as he weighed her reaction. K squirmed in her chair at the thought of a shot of any kind.

"Option two would be that you come down to the lab," she pulled her hand from his and clenched it into a fist as she drew it to her chest. He didn't try to take her hand back or pause in the slightest as he finished telling her what was to come. "... and we put you on a dialysis machine to remove the level of toxins in your blood. If we do this, we'll have to start a feeding tube to give you the nutrients your body so desperately needs."

She looked at him as if he'd suggested she light herself on fire.

"Of course, the second option is one we will be forced to pursue if your condition continues to deteriorate. The key will be discerning what the _cause_ of the toxicity is."

"You're kidding, right? You know what the cause is., K snapped at him. Hank shook his head with a sigh.

"Of course, I misspoke. The source is painfully clear. I meant to say the _reason_ your system is failing." She blinked in confusion. "You haven't eaten properly in weeks, correct?" Hank asked. K reluctantly nodded.

"Well, you didn't have much time since your skeleton was bonded, so we need to find out if the failure is from the procedure they forced on you failing at a molecular level or your blatant self neglect." His kind tone now gone, K truly felt her self hatred scale go up a few notches as she struggled to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks.

In spite of the fact that Henry was trying to help her, Logan kind of wanted to punch him in the face for not being a little more tactful. However, his good cop bad cop routine had exactly the effect he'd hoped for.

She nodded minutely and whispered "_I'll take __the shot._" Logan put his arm around her shoulders as Celia prepared the proper dosage. She turned her head into his shoulder as Hank extended her shaking arm. He asked her to make a fist, then wrapped his hand around it to push it back so she couldn't stab him with an accidental extraction of her claws while he administered the shot to her vein. The bleeding from the shot didn't stop immediately as it should have. Hank put a cotton ball over the slowly leaking hole and bent her arm to hold it in place.

"I'm sorry, my dear, truly I am." Hank said sadly. "Get something in your system if you can. If you can't handle food, we'll have to resort to more aggressive measures. Otherwise, you'll need another shot in a day or so. Don't worry, I'll come to you." He patted her shoulder as he stood, looking to Logan now.

"Make sure she eats something, but start her light." Logan nodded and stroked her hair as she leaned on him, trembling. Jean sat down and apologized for her momentary lapse of thoughtfulness when she tried to simply send her to the lab, and told her again that she'd be more than happy to help her sleep tonight. Or any night for that matter.

She even went so far as to offer to curl up with her if she needed it before she gave him a tortured look and left with Scott's arm around her shoulders. Logan watched as they left before he finally looked down at her, well after they were alone.

"Trouble sleepin'?" he asked just before he tenderly kissed the top of her head.

"And the dark, alone," she quietly admitted, her voice shaky. "Feel like an idiot being my age and afraid of the dark of all things." His arm slid a little lower and he pulled her closer, though he stopped short of pulling her onto his lap as he wanted to.

"Don't have to be alone, darlin',"he mumbled into her hair. She shook her head in response. He frowned and dipped his head down to look at her face.

"Hey," he said, his finger under her chin before he tilted her head up. "You can talk to me too, you know." The want in his voice was clear. She bit her lip as she searched his face and finally decided to go ahead and try to open up to him too. She had felt better after talking to Storm and she hardly knew her. She knew Logan cared for her – or he'd at least said as much. It wasn't a lie at the time. She opened her mouth, and shut it before she took a deep slow breath trying to find the right words.

"I feel better with you but – God, I feel like a jackass." She sighed heavily. "I panic when I wake up with you in the dark. I don't know if it's the weight of your arm on me, or your breath on my neck … but I panic. I'm sorry." She explained quickly, nearly wincing as she finished as if she expected him to blow up at her. Instead, he let out a sigh and he simply kissed her gently. The corner of his mouth tightened as he thought out what to say.

"Why don't you give it another shot – whenever you're ready. I'd like you to try tonight, but seein' as Red already offered you a slumber party ... and if you're unsure about bein' alone with me -" he said and she pulled away from him suddenly.

"I want to hold you when I fall asleep," She spat, cutting him off. "I don't want you to spoon me, like we did, I want to hold you." Logan looked stunned for a moment then agreed quickly. To her confusion, he stood up and started to pull things from the cabinet and refrigerator. In a matter of minutes, he had started to cook up something that smelled positively mouthwatering. She watched him with interest as he cooked for her. Finally he brought her a plate and set it down in front of her before he nodded at her to try it.

She looked at his creation doubtfully. She never was a fan of eggs, and no man that had ever cooked for her could even begin to do a fair job of it ... but – a tiny bite into it, he surprised her. She loved it. She couldn't eat much, but he seemed satisfied that she'd had any at all.

They headed upstairs and K stop by to talk to Jean before going to her room to change.

"Are you sure you're ready to try that?" Jean had asked, with concern in her voice.

"I ... _trust _him," K replied. "But if I can't make it through the night, then there's no reason for me to stay here." Jean took in a quick breath and started to shake her head, but K wished her a good night and quickly slipped down the hall before Jean could say anything.

* * *

She sat on her bed in her PJ's for nearly half an hour staring at her feet. Was she doing the right thing, trying so quickly? The raging doubt that had been ruling her brain backed down just a bit when her inner voice nearly shouted _what the hell are you waiting for?_

She steeled herself and decided to give it her best shot. She stood up and wavered before she caught a hold of the bedpost and looked in the mirror. She recoiled at her reflection. Sunken eyes, sallow complextion. She shook her head. Logan had to care. No way in hell any self respecting man would let her into his bed looking like she did.

She stopped in front of his door and raised her hand to knock, then thought better of it and just let herself in. Logan was, as always, shirtless in boxers, waiting for her in bed, his blankets thrown back.

"How d'you want to do this?" he asked, sliding down a bit more as she approached him. She didn't say a word in response. Instead, she just crawled over him. She left one leg draped across his as she settled in next to him. She used his shoulder as a pillow and rested her hand over his heart. His pulse sped up as she snuggled into him and she smiled at him earnestly when she heard it. He looked down at her when she peeked up at him.

"Can't help it, darlin'. You just have that effect," he said with a smirk as he covered her hand with his. He kissed her forehead tenderly then pulled the blanket up over them. With a little wiggle, she slid up and kissed him sweetly before she wished him a goodnight. He smiled and put his free arm up over his head as he waited for her to either fall asleep or panic.

She yawned, and readjusted herself slightly as she let his scent fill her senses. His rich musk mixed with the scent of pines and cigar smoke made her relax at his touch. For the first time in weeks, she suddenly felt safe. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

Logan was shocked that she passed out so quickly. He listened to her breathe, slow and even. She was so worn that she didn't move but for a twitch of her fingers every now and again which only reminded him of seeing that same twitch as she floated in the tank just before – _No,_ he thought to himself, forcing the thought from his head. He didn't need to worry about that right now. It was done. It wasn't something easily changed, and besides. She was safe with him. Asleep in his bed where he could hold her and watch over her.

He took a deep breath and tried to keep the image of her in the tank out of his head. A tiny moan escaped her lips and drew his attention to her.

"Easy, darlin'. I gotcha," he rumbled quietly and she immediately relaxed again. She absently ran her fingers in his chest hair before drifting off more solidly. He smiled at her as she slept halfway on top of him. She trusted him. She had to or she wouldn't be there. In spite of all that had happened to her, she gave him her full confidence. Looked like they might have a shot after all.

He stayed up all night and watched over her. He had to make sure she got the rest she so desperately needed. He was tired, but just having her there with him made him relax and feel better too.

He watched the sun rise, and just enjoyed the feel of her against him.

When she finally did wake up, she stretched languidly against him then slid up to kiss him as he let his hands drift across her back.

"You didn't sleep at all last night did you?" she asked, as she propped herself up halfway over him. He smirked and shook his head.

"Wasn't that important to me," he replied, not ready to admit yet how much he enjoyed just holding her as she slept. She sat up next to him and tried to show some modesty as she tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. She took a deep breath and looked across the room to the clock on his dresser, it was getting late. When she turned back to him, she caught him smiling serenely at her.

"What?" she asked, totally oblivious. He just shook his head.

"You're beautiful in the morning sun. You just – glow," he said with one of his hands resting on her hip and the other cradling her face. She blushed a little as she pressed her head into his hand then bit her lip and decided to follow her instincts. She locked eyes with him and with a determined look on her face, she grinned. He just smiled wider.

In one smooth move she slid up to kiss him and straddled him as she ran her fingers through his hair. Shocked, he gently placed his hands on her hips as she deepened their kiss and pushed him into the pillows. When she finished he was breathless, and ready for more.

"Wow," he whispered as he slid his hand up the back of her shirt. She smiled genuinely at him.

"Yeah, wow," she breathed out as he looked at her lips. "Thank you. For watching over me last night. But, if this is going to work, then eventually, you'll need to sleep too," she told him with a smile as one of his hands slipped around to the front, caressing her breast while he smirked at her.

"I'll need a little more time for that, stud," she said, a smile in her voice for the first time since they'd returned.

"I know. I'm waitin, darlin'. No pressure. Just gotta say the word," he replied with a growl, as she leaned in for another kiss.

"I want to, really, I do – so, so much ... just give me a little more time and let me get a little stronger. I wear down too easy right now," he groaned but nodded as she sat back on his lap, smiling down at him.

"Well then," he said, rubbing her thighs. "Guess we better work on gettin' some food in you." She sheepishly agreed and once they were downstairs, he made her breakfast.

Halfway through, Hank made one of his rare appearances outside of his lab.

"Good to see you eating something, my dear," Hank said, as he watched her over his half moon spectacles and took a sip of coffee. "Your color is already improving."

"Nah, it's just the morning sun, right, Logan?" she teased, which made him swallow wrong though he was smirking as he coughed. Hank simply shook his head, ignoring their private joke, though he kind of wished he knew what it was to make Logan lose his tightly controlled composure. Logan wanted to glare at her, but ended up laughing before he leaned over the table and kissed her as he called her a tease. She didn't argue it as she dipped her head down and smiled to herself. She was incredibly thankful that he was so patient with her.

When she finally looked up, movement caught her eye and she watched Scott as he walked around outside with a dark haired, well dressed man. Scott looked a little more uptight than usual and the dark haired man was animatedly shaking or nodding his head and talking with his hands. It looked as if he was generally in agreement with whatever Scott said, though he occasionally pointed at something and made his own commentary.

"Logan, what's Scott doing?" K asked suddenly, focused on the two men. Curious as to what was going on.

"He's finally takin' my advice. Been after him for years to upgrade the damn security around here. We got all this high-tech alien crap that works fine for every day weirdos and alien invasions _when it's on_, but we tend to draw high caliber earthly weirdos that are into stealth tech. Or ... maybe it's just me that draws them in. That jackass with him is Tony Stark. Have to admit, the man has a way with weaponry," Logan answered as he sat back down with a fresh cup of coffee next to her. K just watched them a moment, her chin resting in her hand. She narrowed her eyes when she caught Stark's eye and he smiled at her. Logan saw her reaction and laughed.

"Don't have to listen to me, sweetheart. Him and I have had a few disagreements," he informed her with a smirk.

"It's not that. I don't like his look. He's got that 'thinks he knows everything' look to him. _Smug_. Makes me want to hit him with a brick," she said easily as Logan took her hand and chuckled.

"Darlin', keep talking like that and I'm going to have to marry you," he teased before he kissed her palm and stood to leave. She rolled her eyes at him and stared at her coffee, enjoying the warmth in her hands and the rich scent of it as he walked away from her.

Before too long, Scott and Stark came inside and a cold wind followed them, making her shiver a bit as they stepped into the kitchen. Stark was watching K intently as Scott handed him a cup of coffee.

"OK, I know everyone here. But ... I don't know her. I'd have remembered her," he said to Scott. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her, even as she finally looked up at him and met his stare. "Introduce me, Scotty," Stark said with a roguish smile as he put on his best charm for her. Scott raised an eyebrow and shook his head as Stark cut a path right to K and boldly took Logan's vacated seat.

"Tony, this is K. She's with Logan," Scott said, taking a sip. K glanced at him with a grateful look. She'd caught the tension between Logan and Scott easily, so Scott standing up for him was unexpected to her ... but still appreciated. Tonys' eyebrows flew up and his expression was one of disbelief.

"Logan? _Our_ Logan? No. No, that's just not possible. He doesn't even have sex does he?" Tony rattled off, K's brow wrinkling at the ridiculous assumption. Tony readjusted himself so his head was in his hand that he rested on the table. He leaned toward her.

"What do you see in him anyhow? Is it the hair? It's the hair isn't it." She smiled a little in spite of herself and he grinned, his eyes locked on her as if he was the predator between the two of them. He scooted a little closer to her and his tone deepened as he poured on the charm.

"Not the hair. OK. Well, you must like the broody angry type then, right? No? Hmm. Gotta be the claws then, right? You like a guy packing hidden weapons."

That got her attention. With a little hitch in her breathing, her smile fell and she straightened up slightly as she pushed her mug away and turned to face him. He straightened up, realizing a bit too late he'd put his foot in his mouth somehow.

She locked eyes with him and for the first time since they'd returned, she unsheathed her claws in front of someone other than Logan, With a _snikt,_ she held them inches from his face and let the bright sunlight reflect on the little flecks of blood clinging to them. Tony was stunned. He'd never truly looked at Logan's claws quite that closely before.

"Yeah, that's it," she replied as she leaned toward him a hair. "Must be that," she deadpanned before she retracted them quickly and stared down Stark while his mouth hung open. She still hadn't blinked.

"Might wanna close that, honey, you'll catch flies," she said sweetly just before she got up and made her way to the greenhouse.

Scott grinned in spite of himself and took a moment before he just watched her leave. When he knew she was gone, he started to chuckle at the shell shocked Avenger.

"Good God, man," Tony said breathlessly as he stared after her. "Smokin' hot wolverine girl? I thought there was already one of those running around."

"There is. This one isn't a clone though, and as far as we know, she's not trying to kill anyone here. Of course ... the day is young. Not sure you quite made your point to her yet," Scott teased. "You know, they hit it off right away. You should see him. He's actually been in a great mood since she showed up. Well – For him, anyhow." Tony just shook his head slowly.

"Well, yeah. Who wouldn't be, waking up to a girl with razor sharp claws. Jesus." The two men shared a look and laughed between themselves. "I have so much material to work with here. Just. Wow," Stark grinned as Scott chuckled then prompted Tony to get back to work as the two of them went to meet with Forge to get started on the security upgrades.

"She's actually a good part of the reason we need more security," Scott explained as they walked. "The breach we had resulted in her new shiny claws, among other things." Stark wrinkled his brow as he deciphered what Scott was telling him.

"That's new? The metal? They didn't do the whole ..." Tony abandoned the question as Scott nodded his head. "Ouch. Yeah, we can't have people like that breaking in and snatching up kids, can we? Speaking of ... how old is the little short and hot girl anyhow? She looks a little young for the old man," Stark commented only to get a shrug from Scott as he grinned.

"Everyone alive is a little young for the old man," Scott countered, earning a laugh from Tony.

* * *

K was helping Storm in her greenhouse as a means to keep her mind busy. The women talked as they worked and the two of them quickly cleared out the dead and dying plants and repotted Ororo's favorites in the smaller heated section of the hot house.

Ororo had started quizzing K on some of the little details of her encounter with Sabretooth as both Jean and Charles had coached her to do. To Ororo's surprise, K answered all of her questions. She found it easier to do ... pretty much anything the more she let someone else know about what had happened. It was almost as if telling someone else lifted the weight off her shoulders a bit. Like she didn't have to shoulder the burden on her own if someone else knew.

They finished up their work and headed back to the kitchen together for a late lunch. When they got there, they both were shocked at the arguments taking place.

Most of the men of the mansion were there with Stark, and all of them were putting in their two cents as they finalized the plans for the new security system. Ororo and K washed their hands carefully with a shared look at the sink before Ro quickly made a salad and disappeared. K however chose to hang back and see what all the fuss was about. She opened a bottle of water and found an open spot to look at the plans between Forge and Charles. No one it seemed wanted to stand too close to the animated Native American.

As the men squabbled and pointed out flaws to each others logic, K took it all in, and took all of them in. Her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned in, reading the schematics. Forge bumped her accidentally, and in apology he put his arm around her with his arm resting on her shoulder to keep from hitting her again. She naturally leaned a little closer to him as he continued to talk.

Logan watched the scene carefully from across the table, his eyes locked on the two of them. She let them argue until she found what she was sure had to be there somewhere. A dead spot they had missed. She put her hand on the one Forge had resting on her shoulder and tapped it gently to get his attention.

"I know you boys probably have this all wrapped up with a bow, but I do have one little question," she started. The entire table fell silent at her soft, high voice. "What do you have going on here?" she asked finally as she pointed out a spot near the back side of the mansion. All of them leaned in as if on cue and searched to see what she saw. Tony smirked and narrowed his eyes at her before honeying up his tone for her.

"That's covered by the laser sensors, sweetie," Tony replied before he waved his hand over the general area and dismissed her concern completely. She turned her head to glare at him.

"No it's not," she said firmly. "This is a dead spot. Look at it closer." He chuckled at her insistence. Who the hell did this little broad think she was? Just because he thought she was hot didn't mean she could make him look like an idiot in front of a client.

"I don't think so, princess. You see, I worked out all of these triangulations myself. And if I did the math on it, it's textbook. I'm _never _wrong on my math," he told her with a little fire in his voice as he rested his hands on the schematic and leaned over it. The table of men all had varied reactions from smug acceptance of Tony's assertion down to just apparently assuming that the little woman just had to be mistaken. Except Logan. He had full faith in her. K raised an eyebrow slightly and shrugged her shoulder up to her ear a bit.

"Well, you're wrong this time," she said dryly as she casually took a sip of water. Forge's hand slipped from her shoulder and he leaned forward to look at it closer. Tony opened his mouth to argue with her when Forge started to laugh.

"She's right Tony. Look. The sensors are here, here, – and here. You didn't account for the line of trees over here. If you did, you'd have put another one in ... here," Forge said with a smile as he looked over at the genius. Tony looked ruffled as he glared first at her, then Forge, then with a bit of swallowing his pride, finally looked at the schematics a bit closer.

"I'll be damned. Look at that," he said in a totally relaxed tone as he looked over at her. He was shocked when he realized she was not smirking or gloating in any way. Her expression was totally neutral.

"You see anything else wrong here, sweetheart?" Stark asked as her eyes met his and he came to stand next to her. She looked to Logan who smirked at her, enjoying the little laugh at Stark's expense, until of course, he got a little too close and rested his hand in the middle of her back. She glanced at Tony, who encouraged her again to take a look and she began to look at it closely. It wasn't long before she'd found two more mistakes with some proposed defensive systems placement. She was no genius, but she did have an eye for spatial relations, and as it turned out, weaponry.

Tony was entranced by her. It wasn't every day you found a girl that could rattle off ballistics, bullet expansion and trajectory statistics like it's common knowledge. Without hearing the whole argument, she'd unknowingly taken Logan's position on nearly everything, though she expanded the reasoning behind it very clearly with hard facts that Logan knew, but didn't have the patience to back up himself. She was old fashioned, and preferred what she called real weaponry over lasers and other pansy assed deterrents.

When Stark asked her why she preferred a lead core over a copper bullet, for instance, she accurately drew out the difference in expansion sizes, noting that although the copper would hit like a mack truck, the expansion on the lead core tore a bigger hole and would make you 'bleed like a sonofabitch'. Logan laughed out loud at that one in spite of the fact that Stark was all but leaning over her shoulder.

Logan quickly decided to take her for a bite to eat before she got asked out by the billionaire savant. He nearly made it too. They were right at the front door when Stark came up and took her hand to pull her to a stop. She turned and looked at him with a questioning expression on her face.

"Hey, just wanna throw this out there, you know- just in case," Tony said with a very charming grin before he jerked his chin toward Logan. "Hey man, no disrespect," He muttered before turning his attention back to the little brunette. "But K, when you get _tired_ of Mr. Angry-Hairy-Attitude, give me a call, alright? I'll show you a good time, I swear." She gently pulled her hand back, with a smile.

"Though I appreciate the offer – that's ... just not gonna happen," She replied as Logan placed his hand on the small of her back, and guided her outside.


	14. Recovery

_cew and KJAX - thanks for reviewing!_

* * *

After a few days or so of eating more regularly, K was beginning to look more like herself. The hollow appearance of her face began to reverse itself, and her color improved quickly. Within a day or so her mind started to clear out as well.

She began to think more like herself even though she still had pretty severe moments of panic that would crop up on her randomly. She actually cried in relief and shock when she started her period, something that hadn't even occurred to her to think about until she saw the blood.

When she pulled herself together, she realized she felt – good. The niggling doubt in her mind when she thought of the rape could be put behind her if she wanted. It was over. There was nothing she could see that could pop up and derail her.

She could relax. As soon as that thought entered her mind, she did just that. She just let all the tension she'd been holding on to just melt away. He couldn't hurt her again. Now she just had to get over the irrational fears and try to get back to her normal.

She made her way downstairs. Her movements had become more fluid every day as she built up more muscle to handle the extra weight she carried over the following few weeks. She was careful as she began to work out to be sure to do lots of yoga and stretching to keep her slim form – not interested at all in looking like a body builder. She paired her workouts with very little weight training – more focused on repetition over weight and of course, a lot of running.

Her speed and endurance were crap as far as she was concerned. To the shock of nearly everyone in the mansion, Jubilee had become her workout partner. She helped her with some gymnastics moves to help her to cope with her slightly different center of gravity. Jubes was more than thrilled to assist her since very few people at the mansion seemed to value her opinion and K was the first adult to truly ask for her guidance – and follow it.

They were on the balance beam together as K bent herself backwards in a slow motion backwards cartwheel when the construction crew walked past. Stark was at the rear of the group and stopped dead in his tracks as he watched K work smoothly to Jubilee's instruction.

When K noticed him, she glared and he hastily moved on. Not long after, she decided to call it a day, and had walked toward the elevator as Logan approached from the Danger room. He was in the process of catching his breath and was positively covered in sweat. He looked her up and down before he gave her a low whistle.

"You doin' alright, darlin'? I'd be happy to help you work out," he teased with a little waggle of his eyebrows as he slipped his hand on her hip. She smiled and leaned into him, as she totally ignored his wet shirt and wrapped her arms around his sweaty neck for a kiss.

"Hmm. Maybe. I might just be able to come up with a workout you can help me with,"she purred as his hands slid up her back while they kissed. The couple made their way upstairs hand in hand. Both of them needed a shower badly before continuing on with the day. She automatically made to go to her room when Logan tightened his grip on her hand and pulled her with him toward his room instead.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a laugh on her face. "I need a shower and so do you," she said as he pulled her into his room and shut the door behind him before he kissed her again.

"So take one," he said as he swatted her on the backside then crossed the room to sit down and remove his boots. She stopped and watched him for a moment. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I won't follow unless you ask me to," he clarified. She waited a beat before she finally kicked off her shoes and headed to the bathroom to strip. The water was hot when she looked at her naked figure in the mirror.

The change to her body was pronounced. Her muscles were sinewy, her form smooth and slick. The only thing that hadn't really changed were her breasts, which she thought still looked like they didn't quite fit her frame – not that she'd ever heard any complaints in that department.

She let her hair down and ran a brush through it quickly before she stepped into the shower. She wasted no time as she washed up quickly – well aware that Logan would need a moment to wash up, and that he was patiently waiting for access to his own shower. She stopped mid thought and called for him. He cautiously entered the bathroom a short moment later.

"You need something, sweetheart?" he asked, expecting something simple, and not quite looking her way.

"Yeah. Um, why don't you strip and help me finish up. I could use some skilled hands to wash my back." she said with a shy smile as she peeked at him through the cracked open shower door. "I'm not ... promising anything, but maybe we can just see where it goes?" she said hopefully and he nodded in response before he stripped off what he had left and slipped in with her.

She moved out from under the water to give him a chance to get started rinsing off. When he tipped his face under the water, he was a little surprised when he felt her hands gliding across his shoulders. He turned to look at her and the expression on her face was anything but innocent and more than enough encouragement for him, but he forced himself to be a gentleman.

She stepped into him and slid her hands into his hair as she leaned in to kiss him while he gently caressed her back.

They both made a concerted effort to wash properly as they slipped in kisses, caresses, and full body contact as they continued on. Both of them got a little worked up as they progressed.

When they were actually clean, they simply continued their wet, steamy shared shower. Neither of them was willing to be the one to say _enough_.

There was little they had left that they could do when she nervously decided to give it a shot in a serious '_what the hell_' kind of mind set. She pressed herself into him fully as they kissed and she finally gave him a crystal clear signal by slipping her leg over his hip. He froze and pulled back to look at her.

"Are you sure you wanna start that?" he asked, not sure himself that it was a good idea . She was touched that he was still worried about her mental healing. Any other red blooded guy on the planet wouldn't have hesitated in his position. She smiled as her heart raced as she nodded then she switched their positions and pushed him against the wall as she kissed him again. He had to pull himself in check as she pushed him to continue. He weighed his options as his logic and reasoning relocated below his belt line and before it went too far, he switched off the water. He handed her a towel as he stepped out looking half breathless.

"You're running the show, darlin'," he told her as he toweled off and slipped into bed. She followed suit hot on his tail. She climbed onto him and he simply watched her, doing all he could to keep his hands to himself. That was blown though when she leaned forward to start kissing him and his hands slid across her body eagerly.

* * *

They didn't leave the room for several hours. When they did, both of them were much more relaxed. She'd almost forgotten how good it was with him, how cherished he made her feel while they made an art out of worshipping each other.

Storm was having tea near the fireplace when she spotted the couple grabbing a bite to eat. K's appetite had increased substantially as her healing accelerated and her workout regimen began. She'd gotten back to her normal look with just a bit more muscle added.

Ororo smiled watching them. It was good to see them helping each other heal. When they were finished, Logan passionately kissed her. They totally ignored whatever audience might see them, and he smirked to himself as he made her knees buckle. He whispered something to her that got K blushing in a demure way before he released her from his grip and she disappeared down the hall.

Logan caught Ororo smiling at him over her tea so he decided to call her on it as he came and sat across from her.

"What's up, Ro?" he asked as he leaned back in his chair. She coyly looked back at him, her smile glowing.

"She's been talking to me, you know," She informed him as she re-wrapped her long fingers around her mug. Logan just nodded. He did know, but he didn't know what she had to say. He only knew that it was about Creed, and that she felt she needed to talk to a woman.

"I like her. She has fire to her, but is still quite kindhearted, like someone else I know," Ororo said as she watched for his reaction. "I'm glad you are taking a chance with her, Logan. She's been good for you, and you for her, I think. But I do worry over you, my friend," she said as her tone shifted. "You suffered in a different way when the two of you were gone. Are you alright?" She asked as he kicked his feet out in front of himself.

"Oh, you know me, Ro. I'll be fine," he said brusquely, brushing it off like he always did. She nodded, expecting nothing more from him than this. "She's agreed to let me work with her in the danger room again," he told her in a conversational ton. Ororo nodded as she accepted the slight change in subject matter.

"Yes, she's really looking forward to it. She's rebounded so quickly from all of this. I keep forgetting that she heals so easily," She observed as she thought of the first day K came to talk to her.

Ro knew, as did Charles, Jean, and the doctors, but neither Logan or K guessed how very close she had come to slipping away entirely from them all. Ororo had readily agreed to try and befriend the woman out of concern for Logan's well being.

She didn't realize how much she'd come to enjoy her company as well, or how easily she would accept her fast track relationship with Logan – particularly with her own history with the man. But the two little ferals just seemed so natural together, as if there was very little effort for them to just – be.

They sat together a bit longer. Logan was lost in thought on what he was going to do with K. She needed training. She had some, but she needed to refine it. What she knew was plenty to stop most attacks and attackers ... but as he'd told K earlier – they had a tendency to draw nastier than your average bad guy.

* * *

Logan refused to start training her until nearly a week later. He wanted her to have her endurance back up to what it was before. In the end, he had to concede that she'd simply lost some speed. No matter how hard she tried, she was just a hair slower than before.

Their first session was easy enough, he took her to the gym and asked her to put him on the ground.

"You want me to pin you," K said in a request for specifics as doubt laced her voice. Logan simply nodded. He'd had her change, and they both stood in uniforms in the nearly abandoned gym. Jubilee was there to cheer on whoever needed it as was Chloe, Zoe, and Paige. K was a little uncomfortable with the audience however.

"I want you to _try_ to pin me," he clarified. He hoped that insulting her would rile her enough to get a good fight from her. She turned to him slowly, hand on her hip, and eyebrow up. "Don't feel bad if you _can't_ though. I doubt you will."

"So ... you think a cheap shot will goad me? Try again, hoser," She shot back as they squared off. He smiled – she liked to pick. Neither was moving. She stopped and looked at him as she totally dropped her shoulders. "What do you want me to do? Charge you?" She asked, honestly confused on how to attack her lover.

"Yeah. Might as well. You can't always be waiting to get attacked," he replied as he went into a crouch. She crossed her arms and cocked her hip. She didn't like this. Not one damn bit. She looked to Jubilee who was waving her to go ahead and hit him. He straightened up with a resigned sigh. She wasn't going to do this the way he wanted her to.

"I'm trying to help you. You gotta at least try it my way," he said reasonably as she grumped at him, her lips drawn tight.

"Fine," She shot back as her eyes narrowed. He barely got in a smirk before she knocked his legs out from under him and dropped him flat on his back. He recovered quickly and snatched her feet out from under her before he launched himself on top of her and pinned her shoulders.

"Get up," he told her as he held her down. She looked up at him wide eyed. He'd taken her by surprise. But the game wasn't over yet.

"What if I like i down here?" she teased. He let out a growl in response and she let out a sigh before she wiggled and tried to toss him. When that didn't work, she simply pinched the hell out of his inner thigh and bit his arm hard enough to draw blood. She got out from under him and reversed their position. She tried to hold him down at the wrists, but he was quick to show her how erroneous that was.

He smiled and pressed his advantage – her upper body strength was a joke next to his. She pushed on him as hard as she could but he still began to sit up with her using all she had to try to keep him down. He nearly reversed right back on her right then. She got up quickly and tried to decide how to approach him when he started giving her help.

"You'll never get an advantage on my upper body. Not like that. Try something else," he coached. She scrunched her face up trying to figure out his meaning. Before she could put anything into action though, he dove at her and pulled her down.

He pinned her again after he climbed over her and straddled her, this time with her wrists near her ears. She felt a sharp panic that showed on her face for a second before she started to thrash as she tried to sit up.

When he leaned over her, pressing down her torso, she tried to fold herself in half to kick him in the head. He quirked an eyebrow at her and she planted both her feet next to her ass and pushed up from the legs and pelvis to try to toss him. It didn't throw him, but it was just enough to make him off balance and she shifted from under him. He still held her arms.

"Good, now get loose," he told her in a pleased tone. The teenagers were watching wide eyed. In any of their self defense classes, no one had gotten nearly this far with the volunteers, let alone Logan.

She made for the obvious, and tried to kick him in the balls, but he was waiting for it. He knew she'd do it if she had a clear shot.

He blocked her and lunged forward with a growl before he pulled her hands behind her back and grasped them in one of his. He was right on top of her, panting in her ear and she had no hands to fight him with. His free hand went to her hip and held her close. He smiled at her and she returned the smile, as she laughed a little, though she was feeling very unsure and a little pissed off. She couldn't figure out how to get loose, so she decided she'd do what worked best for her. Deception.

She looked between them, shyly then leaned forward, just waiting for the moment when he relaxed a bit. As soon as his shoulders showed the tiniest drop she pushed forward hard at him and wrapped her teeth around his windpipe. She didn't bite, she just let him know she could. He froze and quickly let her hands go, raising his in surrender. As soon as she let him loose, he spun her around and pinned her arms to her side, holding her from behind tightly. She fought like hell as soon as his breath hit her neck.

"Didn't you just surrender?" She said, frustrated that she couldn't get him. He avoided her thrashing carefully as she wriggled and stomped at his feet.

"Yeah, but you cheated. You wanna change the rules, I will too," he said growling in her ear. She froze. He heard her heart skip a beat and her scent changed to one laced with fear. She was starting to panic. He had to defuse the situation before she had a real problem.

"Just relax. You're not stronger than me. Use your size to your advantage. There's always something you can try," he coached her as she tried to take a deep breath and calm herself while she thought his words through. The fear scent started to fade away and Logan smiled to himself from over her shoulder. Crisis averted.

"OK," K said to herself. If she took out his knees, he'd likely fall on her and she'd be pinned. If she stomped his foot, there was no guarantee he'd let her go. "What are the parameters?" she asked quietly.

"No bloodshed," he replied just as quietly. She wiggled her arms, but his grip on her was unyielding. She tried moving both into him and away from him with no results. She tried to twist in his arms, nothing.

Finally she leaned her head forward, trying to lever her upper body away from him but she just shook her head as that didn't work either.

"Come on," he said to her over her shoulder. "What haven't you tri-" she threw her head back, and smashed him in the face. His grip lightened considerably and she slipped out of his grasp. She took a few steps backward before she lunged at him and swept his feet out from under him. He landed on his back and she climbed on him before he could start to sit up. She quickly wrapped her legs around his neck and locked her ankles together.

"I'm sorry – I broke the no bloodshed rule. Is this cheating?" she asked. He reached up and grabbed her thighs just above her knees and tried to pull them apart from his neck and head. Not only could he not budge her, but she started to put pressure on him in retaliation. She wasn't choking him yet, but she was holding on well enough to get her point across. He started to try to jockey his leg towards her head, but one of her free hands slid up next to his crotch as she raised an eyebrow at him pointedly. He started to laugh, a smile on his bloodied face.

"I give," Logan said, shocking the hell out of the teens watching as his grip on her knees lightened considerably and his hand slid up her leg. "Really, darlin'. I give."

She unlocked her ankles and slid her legs apart, letting him go, but she didn't climb off of him. He just laid back as she sat on his chest, and stroked her leg with a silly grin plastered on his face.

"This isn't going to turn into a very advanced sex ed class is it?" Paige asked, in her attempt to break up the pair. Before K could answer Logan beat her to it.

"I have a hard time prying myself from between her legs." He leered up at her as she stared down at him. Her mouth actually dropped open a hair. She couldn't believe he'd actually said that in front of those girls.

"I am so going to choke you out," K said, incredulous as she reasserted her hold. Logan just grinned.

"You go ahead and wrap your legs around my head anytime, sweetheart. Just make sure my cause of death is on the tombstone. Whatta way to go." He shot back. She blushed brightly as she released him again and quickly got off him. He chuckled as he sat up and wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. The girls were loving this playful version of their serious teacher. K was slightly mortified as he enjoyed her embarrassment.

"You know, for a guy that just lost, you sure as hell act like you won," she said as he pulled her back to him.

"We weren't sparrin' darlin'. That was a _lesson_ and you did fine for your first one," he told her before he stole a kiss. "Lets see how you do next time when I'm not coachin' ya." He gave her a little pat on the ass and she finally slipped her arms around his neck for a real kiss. "Danger room tomorrow."


	15. Testing Systems

_cew and KJAX ... thanks for the reviews! Yes, I'd love a private training session myself, KJAX._

* * *

K barely got half a cup of coffee before Logan took her mug, gave her a kiss and wished her luck before heading up to the booth. She took a deep breath and gathered her nerves before she slipped into the danger room for what appeared to be a second take on an evaluation, even if it wasn't being called that.

Logan was running the show this time since Scott was still feeling guilty on how the last evaluation ended with K nearly bleeding out. She kept her cool as she looked around the bare room which was already shifting into something deeply green yet not quite calming to her. She looked up when she heard Logan's voice asking if she was ready to start.

She was taken back when she realized it wasn't just he and Scott in the booth as she'd expected. Storm was there, as was Jubilee, a tall blonde man she hadn't met before and of all people, Stark.

She just assumed that he was there for his own entertainment, and she hoped like hell she didn't end up busting her ass too early on. When she gave the go ahead, Scott told her to start walking as the scenery shifted to a night time city street. She wasn't sure how to proceed, as she wasn't comfortable in a city to begin with.

Her senses were overloaded. The smells of hundreds of people hung in the hot night air. To her it just smelled dirty. She rubbed her nose as she tried to clear it while she walked on, the hum of the streetlights sounded deafeningly loud to her. With no warning, a man dressed in black head to toe popped out from behind a dumpster and slammed her into a parked car.

Logan had told her to do what she needed, but Scott told her not to kill, so when the imaginary creep groped her breast, she popped her claws in his groin and dropped him to the ground. She looked towards the booth a moment.

"Really?" she said, clearly aimed at Logan. The booth was obscured by the hologram, but she knew he was smiling to himself at her reaction.

"Have it your way," Logan's voice echoed down just before at least a dozen black clad mercenaries materialized out of nowhere. All of them cocked their guns and began firing on her. She swore under her breath as she dodged for a hiding spot. She took cover where it looked available and tried to circle around and away from them.

She stumbled as a bullet hit her leg, not realizing until just then that it was going to be that realistic. She leaned her head back on a car she was hiding behind when her programming from Department K just took over. With a slow, deep inhale, she moved into action.

She took out the nearest mercenary by holding him in a headlock as she stole his sidearm then shot him in the head. As his body fell, she liberated his assault rifle and slipped down an alley to circle around the building.

When she made it around she started picking off the others as they came into view. Eventually, they changed position and they pinned her down under heavy fire. She waited until she heard one changing magazines to run out towards them. She took several body shots as she cleared the street then Logan turned up the heat on her.

The streets became flooded with targets. Suddenly it was a crowd of MRD officers and supporters, and she didn't hesitate to empty out her magazines on both before switched her grip on the handgun and began to pistol whip those that tried to subdue her.

She started hand to hand combat with them when she lost the pistol and held her own for an impressive length of time using what little martial arts she knew before the mob simply over took her. As they swarmed her, Logan killed the program before one of them could run her through with a blade to the heart.

He cleared the scene to a forest in an obvious attempt to make her more comfortable. As she started to sit up, the birds in the program fell silent as if she was actually in a real forest. She was wary as she stood up slowly.

In the booth, Stark had leaned over Logan's shoulder and thrown in his two cents.

"Come on, man. Quit screwing around. Give her something nasty," Stark said as he picked out an attacker for K.

"Tony, that's just wrong," Scott said with a shake of his head as he watched her assess what appeared to be Wolverine that appeared thirty yards away from her.

"You sonofabitch," Logan snarled at him, but Scott told him to wait and see how she handled Daken.

In the Danger Room, K barely saw Daken as he launched himself at her. He was snarling, his claws were out and he was set to kill. Shocked and not sure what she was looking at, she ducked, not wanting to fight him at all until she realized that this ... person wasn't her Logan.

He was taller, his build was a little more slim, he had less hair, and he had tattoos on his arm. His claws didn't seem to be right either.

He slashed at her as she moved backward. She tried to assess him before she reacted. His claws just caught her uniform front and sliced it open across her stomach, barely grazing the skin beneath it.

She kept dodging as he advanced until she backed into a tree.

He rushed at her, ready to smash her into the tree bark but she ducked down and rolled away from him. Not five yards separated them as they both launched at each other. Both had their claws out. Both were snarling like rabid wolves.

They hit in mid air, all claws and blood. Daken quickly got the upper hand on her. He slammed her to the ground by her head his free hand swung down toward her neck. He didn't see it when she stuck him hard just below the ribcage.

The false Wolverine froze, his weight falling forward onto her, pinning her as she snarled in his face. Stark didn't think it looked to be that bad of a hit until the angle of her claws became apparent on the replay. She'd angled them nearly straight up under the breast bone of his ribcage then twisted as far as her wrist would allow. Had it been a real person, she'd have cut his heart out within his chest. When the simulation vanished, she stood up, blood dripping from her nose and ears, and wobbling a bit from the last few hits Daken had landed.

"Sorry. That was my idea. You did well though," Stark admitted to her over the intercom.

"You are begging for her to kick your ass," Scott said to him, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I wouldn't mind going a round or two with her," He replied as he elbowed Logan, who began to growl.

"You'll be lucky if I let you walk outta here, Stark," Logan growled out. Tony looked at Logan as if he'd insulted him instead of the other way around.

"I didn't know we were playing softball here. I thought you wanted to push her. See what she could do," Stark said, a little indignant. Logan turned to him, ready to tear him up when K interrupted from the room.

"Are we done, or are you going to give me something to fight down here?" she asked. She sounded pissed off as she caught her breath. The men in the booth all stopped and turned towards her.

"What do you want, darlin' – I'm not sure how far to push you," Logan answered, his brows furrowed. He hadn't planned on going anywhere near this far if he was going to be honest about it. She looked to the floor a moment and as she raised her head to look at the booth Jean's mouth dropped and she whispered out a nearly silent _oh no_.

"Jean, did you ever finish that simulation for me?" K asked. The booth was dead silent. No one moved a muscle.

"What's she talking about?" Stark asked, turning towards Jean. Logan looked sick. Jean blinked rapidly a few times and looked at the back of Logan's head uncertainly.

"Uh, yeah, but I don't think you need to do that one, K. We got all we needed I think," Jean answered, her voice a little shaky. "I was planning on deleting it anyhow." K swiveled her head towards the redhead in the booth. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm fine. All healed up. See?" she said, turning around with her arms out. "If you're done with the evaluation, then clear the booth and Scott can run it for me." She was fully confident that someone up there would back her up. Logan stood up and left without a word, Jubilee in his wake as she tried to stop him from interrupting her session.

"I don't think that's a good idea, K," Scott said, hoping he could diffuse the situation and dissuade her. A moment later the door to K's left opened with Logan on the other side, still looking sick.

"Come on, let's go. You're done here," he said, not trying to give her an option. She shook her head as she turned to look at him.

"I haven't been in here an hour yet. You said this would be a long session," She replied. He just shook his head and walked in towards her before he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him. She planted her feet and pulled back. He turned to look at her, and she realized maybe a little too late that he was upset. He dropped her arm as she walked towards him.

"I need to do this, Logan," she said very quietly. His eyes met hers, and she saw his hurt there.

"No, you don't," he said, desperate for her to understand that he could never again just stand by to watch helplessly as that nightmare tried to replay itself.

They stared at each other a moment and she dipped her head as she gave in. She understood very clearly his position. He still just watched her though, waiting for a real answer. She leaned up and kissed him very tenderly before she nodded her head and whispered out _OK_. He let out a breath and offered her his hand. She didn't hesitate before she took it and they walked out hand in hand.

"What was that all about?" Stark asked as he scanned the control booth. All of the X-men present looked haunted and and a little guilty for having eaves dropped, albeit accidentally, on their stoic teammate. "What's the simulation she wants?" he asked to the silent room when no one answered his first question.

"Sabretooth," Scott replied finally, no desire to expand on his answer. Stark waited a moment before he couldn't hold his tongue any more.

"Sabretooth what- to the first or the second question? What did I miss?" he was impatient to hear more.

"Both," Scott answered with a tone of finality. They cleared the room one by one until only Storm remained. She locked the doors to both the booth and the room below before she searched the computer for the simulation K had asked for. She was more curious than she cared to share with the others as she read through the parameters of the program.

It was a pretty bone chilling read, and she understood exactly why Logan wouldn't want to watch her spar with the monster, especially considering how things had ended for her the last time she'd taken him on alone not two months before.

However, she also understood why K felt she needed to run the program. She returned to the main screen before she left. She put a lot of thought into weighing out who was right – K or Logan.

One thing she had learned from the exercises run today was that K would sacrifice what she thought she was essential to her healing process to avoid hurting Logan. Ororo smiled to herself as she realized that the newest of their ranks loved him.

When she left the control booth, she made a beeline for Jean and pulled her aside so she could discuss the matter with her privately.

"I don't know why you bothered looking at that awful program. We've never had anything like that in a simulation before. I'm deleting it," Jean told her, still clearly a little shaken from how things had ended with K's simulations.

"I can't allow you to do that, my friend," Ororo told her. "There is more to this than what you originally meant it to be. She has been training. She has more to learn, but she _will _need to run that program sooner or later. She will need to know that she can stop a monster if she has to."

"But she already did, Storm. He's dead. There's no need for it," She argued. "Besides, Logan plans on deleting it himself the first chance he gets." Ororo frowned.

"I should not have to tell you how everyone's mind needs to process things in their own way. This is one of those times. Mark my words, she will need that program, if nothing else, for her own sanity," Ororo argued. Jean bit her lip. She knew the Goddess was right. She crossed her arms over her chest as she tried to feign thinking it over.

"Alright," Jean replied quietly. "I'll rename it. That way I can tell him that the file isn't there. But I'm not comfortable with this, Ro. If she ever runs this, I want to be there. I want to see how she does. If she backtracks on her progress, I _will _wipe it from her mind and make sure she never wants to approach it again."

* * *

"So, the systems are all in place, and all the preliminary tests are finished. All we need now is a live threat to test it for real," Stark said, sitting back in his chair, as he looked at Forge, Scott and the blonde man. "So, who's going to be our test dummy?"

"I got it," Logan said with a rumble as he walked up to the table. He'd clearly startled the group of men seated. He'd been quiet since K's test had ended earlier. He left her to clean up and change,felt inexplicably guilty about making her stop working.

She'd gone with him willingly but she was quieter than usual and hadn't flirted or picked on him since. He'd decided on the spot that he was going to delete the program. But after he'd walked away from the Danger Room, he wasn't sure about that decision. She'd seemed so determined to run it. Not like she had anything to prove to anyone, but something she had to do for herself. He just couldn't bring himself to see her in that situation again.

The only thing he knew for sure that he wanted to do was fight. A little pain would clear his head.

"We're using live rounds, Logan. You sure you want to do that?" Forge asked. Logan just glared at him.

"Make sure all the kids are in and away from the windows. How soon can it be ready?" he asked.

"Give us an hour," Scott told him. Logan nodded and stood to leave. He made sure on his way out to tell him he'd be outside the property by then. Tony himself agreed to do the flying portion. His armor was resistant to pretty much everything and what it wasn't, he had his own defensive armory to handle it. He was confident he'd be safe enough.

The students that had begun to trickle back to the school were all gathered and accounted for in the game room Fifteen minutes before the test was set to start. The teachers and staff were keeping watch on them as they entertained themselves.

As K hit the bottom of the stairs, freshly showered and squeaky clean, she overheard Scott tell someone over a com link that they had 5 minutes before the test started up. Stark was headed to the door nearest the kitchen when he spotted her watching them with a confused look on her face.

"Hey. You want to see the show? We're gonna test the system," Tony told her with a grin before he stepped outside. She scrunched her nose up at his action.

"Who's _'we'_?" she asked as she leaned over the counter.

"Oh, didn't he tell you? Your cranky boyfriend and I are going to put it through the paces," Tony replied with a friendly smile for her. "Why don't you give me a little kiss for good luck?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. She thought he'd lost his mind.

"I can see him testing it, but what are you doing? Really," she asked flatly. Suddenly Tony realized she had no idea who he really was in the world of famous high powered business or superheroes.

"You don't know my superpower then," he said as he looked at her sideways, his tone a bit insulted.

"Is it being a self absorbed pain in the ass, because, honestly you seem to have the corner market," she said before tipping her bottle of water up.

"I get it. That's fine. Just remember if I get blown up, I'm going to die knowing that the last pretty girl I talked to _didn't even know who I was_. You've got to admit - that's kinda harsh," he laid it on thick and his expression was one that was hard even for K to ignore.

"Tony, leave her alone. She's not interested," The blonde told him, though he didn't even look up from the screen in front of him. K inclined her head toward the blonde.

"You should listen to him. He's got some sense," K told him seriously as she rounded the counter to see what the men had up on their monitor.

"Mind your own business, Rogers. K - Come on, one little one … right there. Please?" he mumbled quietly, hamming it up as he leaned towards her and tapped his cheek. She rolled her eyes, cracked a smile and against her better judgment quickly gave him a peck on the cheek, which earned herself a broad grin from the smart assed billionaire.

"Now you can die. Congratulations," she said sweetly as he stepped outside. He stretched his arms out in a Christ-like pose with a saucy grin – his eyes locked on her. She really did think he was completely insane until his armor started to attach itself to him. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she shook her head slowly. Now she knew who he was.

She wasn't really up on that kind of thing, having only really seen a few newspapers with the Avengers on the front page in passing while she was on the run. Just before he jetted up into the sky he made a point to pop onto the com link, which all in the room could hear through the computers set up to monitor.

"Logan, thought I should be the one to tell you. This is going to come as a blow. But I'm not sorry. I got her to kiss me. She did tell me to go die, but doesn't matter. You owe me twenty bucks. Pay up, sucker," Stark announced, shooting off to a point just beyond the grounds. K's mouth dropped. She had no idea they'd bet on something like that. And she'd lost it for Logan. It should have been a sure thing.

"Scooter, do me a favor and blast Stark outta the air," Logan growled in return. The exchange got a good laugh from Scott and kicked off some serious smack talk from Tony.

"You shouldn't have done that," Rogers said to the little brunette, as he finally took a moment to look at her, one eyebrow raised. She shook her head as she took a seat near him.

"I know. I was hoping he'd just shut up." K told him as he smiled at her. Poor girl had no idea what she'd just done.

Before the test started, Charles did a thorough scan of the area to double check that everyone was accounted for before they began the test. Scott gave the all clear and in a matter of seconds, all hell broke loose outside. Small explosions were peppering the air around Stark as he shot down the anti-air defenses when they approached him.

Logan had a tougher run. He faced lasers, heavy guns and various booby traps that were set up around the perimeter, not to mention some of the other more creative options that Stark had suggested and the bizarre land mines that meant to capture an attacker, not blow them up, that Forge had created and set out at random.

They were harmless when the system was off or on it's normal mode, but any trigger of the perimeter defenses or an alarm armed them automatically. Forge was the only one that knew where they were, so while Logan knew exactly where the guns, lasers, and traps were – the mines were a surprise for him.

So far, the only firing that had occured was in the air. Logan had clearly gone into super sneaky mode, and K would have thought he'd left all together had it not been for the smack talk going on between he and Stark.

They didn't know if it was skill or luck, but either way, Logan had seemed to have found a way to detect the mines. He'd already come within 100 yards of the school before he finally got a bit too close to one. He found himself pretty well snared, but being who he is, he just cut out of it, which triggered the guns in the hidden turrets on the building. It shot him up pretty good before Scott declared it successful and turned it off. Stark landed next to Logan as he stood up and stretched while the bullets pushed themselves from his wounds.

K walked out to see how he was, a pained look on her face as she watched him wipe the blood off his face. She went right up to him but he took her hands in his as she reached for his face.

"Really? You kissed _him_?" He growled out with a hard glare. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide. She didn't expect for him to get so ... insulted.

"Well, yeah," she started slowly in her own defense while she clearly tried very hard to look as guilty as possible. "I mean, a peck on the cheek. And - I really only did it so he could die, and he didn't even do that right. I feel cheated, really." She tried not to smile at him as he raised an eyebrow at her explanation.

"You didn't kiss me. Seems like I'm the one that's been cheated," he told her, doing his best grump as he leaned in closer.

"At the time, I was only giving away '_please go die'_ kisses, so, really you should be happy I didn't kiss you," She replied. His grump cracked and his eyes twinkled as the smirk appeared on his face.

"Well, what about now? Still givin' out the please die kisses or can I convince you to give me somethin' else? " he asked as he closed the gap, still holding her hands. She smirked at him.

"Well, now ... I've got plans. I just met this tall, blonde handsome fella. Maybe I can pencil you in for something later?" she teased. He released her hands just long enough to grab onto her and pull her to him the rest of the way with one hand at the small of her back and the other gripping the back of her head. He dove into a passionate kiss as K's hands rested on his shoulder and slid up the side of his neck into his hair as he made a point of asserting his position as top dog. From Stark's point of view, it looked a lot like he was re-marking his territory.

"You sure you got plans?" he asked with a growl. She made a point to act like she'd think about it before he pinched her ass hard, making her press into him. Before she could answer him, Stark cut in.

"Alright, you two can stop. I got it. Keep away from her. But if you two are going to continue, you really need to get a room. Some of us can't be spanking pretty girls all day," Tony said in hopes to get a rise out of one of them. K looked over Logan's shoulder as he started to release her.

"You're absolutely right, Tony. We shouldn't do this out here." She turned her attention back to the bloodied feral that was holding her. "Come on, Logan, you can spank me upstairs," K said as Logan smirked and Stark spun around quickly while he mumbled something about the order of things in the world being terribly terribly wrong.


	16. Training Days

"You can't put her on a team, Scott," Jean told him in no uncertain terms. He didn't answer her, but kept reviewing the footage. "I'm serious. Someone will get killed." Scott seemed to ignore her as he kept replaying the same spot over and over. It wasn't even anything that looked that interesting.

K was leaning on a car, her head was tipped back and her face skyward while gunfire sounded off rapidly. She'd closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, it was like a different person down there.

He was trying to figure out what happened. She'd agreed when she entered the room that she wouldn't kill unless necessary, yet there she was, stony faced as she plugged round after round into the robot's heads without any hesitation or attempt to incapacitate them.

"Something's wrong here, Jean," he told her as he reset the clip for what felt like the hundredth time. She sighed and slid closer to him again. She leaned on his shoulder as she again watched the new woman on screen. She'd quit watching it long before he'd reached this point, but decided to humor her husband and watch it one. Last. Time. When he saw she was paying attention, he zoomed in on K's face as she leaned her head back. When K opened her eyes on the tape, Jean finally saw it. She straightened up abruptly and Scott's hand slid down her back as she did.

"There. I see it now," she said as she paused the tape. "We may be able to fix that. It's the programming, Scott. They brainwashed her, put in some subliminal suggestions, who knows what. But when they did, they did it so she'd kill. I may be able to tweak that," she said thoughtfully as she started to ponder how to approach Logan's little lover. "Logan worked through this same kind of thing when he came here, and I don't think she realizes what's happening. She may not even know how she's doing this."

"That's because Logan's training was his real life experiences and took him decades. Hers was probably just jammed into her brain like she was a computer," Scott reasoned out. She nodded her head in agreement. Scott leaned back and sighed before he raised his arms over his head and stretched.

"She'll want to think about it," Jean said thoughtfully. "But I think I'll let Logan bring it up. We'll have better luck that way."

"She could be one hell of an asset, if we can help her out," Scott said offhandedly. Jean smiled as she turned to her husband.

"You think she's cute, don't you?" she said as she teased him. He shrugged a bit and squirmed under her gaze. With a little laugh, he rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head at the ground a moment.

"Does me no good to lie, does it?" he said with a guilty grin as Jean started to laugh.

"No. Not to me anyhow," she told him before she slipped onto his lap and kissed him. He almost stopped her then thought better of it, instead following her lead as she telekinetically locked the door of the war room.

* * *

Ororo found K in the barn. She'd taken to making it her job to care for the animals since she'd started to get her strength back. When she walked up on her, the miniscule woman had a large coppery mare in the cross ties and was brushing out her mane.

"The horses seem to like you," Ro said conversationally as she slipped into the barn. She made sure to close out the cold wind behind her. K smiled at her weakly in greeting. The barn had become where she would hide when she needed time to herself when she was down.

"They really needed brushing out. Do you think I'd get in trouble if I took one out for a ride?" she asked her as Ro made her way around the other side of the animal and began to brush out the mares' growing coat.

"You don't need to ask, K. Only the students need supervision with them," Ro told her as she wondered why she'd suddenly sounded shy. K made an effort to focus on the mane she was nearly done removing tangles from. They worked on the mare in silence for a while, and when K had finished brushing and braiding her tail, she made to put her in a stall. When the latch clicked, Ro tried to change the subject.

"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday, in your evaluation," Ro said as she watched K for a reaction. She made none as she pulled out the roan gelding and tied him. "They didn't want to let you do your program. So I looked at it." K froze a second and glanced at the Goddess.

"You think I'm stupid for wanting to run it too, don't you," K asked as she went back to her self appointed work.

"On the contrary, I think it wise. I'd like to help you with it," Ro told her. She surprised K enough for her to stop what she was doing and turn to face her.

"I thought Logan deleted it," K said as she looked at Ro in disbelief, but the Goddess shook her head slowly.

"He thinks Jean deleted it. She simply renamed it until such a time that _you_ are ready to delete it. I told her I thought you may need it for your own peace of mind," Ro told her as K's eyebrows rose.

"But ... you know how he feels about this. He _really_ doesn't want me to run it," K said quietly, still not believing her ears that one of Logan's closer friends was willing to go behind his back for her benefit? Was that really what was happening?

"I know it was torture for him to be forced to watch you while he could do nothing to aide you. I do not believe that he has changed his mind on you learning to defend yourself from someone so much larger and aggressive than you," Ororo reasoned. "I just do not think that he can handle watching you in danger without tearing himself apart to be at your side to defend you. He can't help with your training in that capacity for now. But I can."

"Have you talked to him about this?" K asked as the job of brushing out the horse was quickly forgotten. Ororo shook her head slowly 'no'.

"It is something I believe we may need to do without his knowledge or consent, which I do not think he will easily give anyhow," She said as she watched K for her reaction. "I think we must start immediately." Ro finished, K's eyebrows raised higher.

"I can't lie to him, Ororo. I just can't do that to him," K told her seriously. Ro was taken back. She was willing to face him head on rather than deceive him.

"Let me speak with him then," Ro told her. "If that doesn't work, we'll figure out what to do next."

"I don't want him to think that I'm afraid to talk to him. I don't want him thinking I'm trying to manipulate," K said with a shake of her head. "No. I'll handle it. Let me talk to him myself." Ro smiled at the little woman's tenacity.

"But right now," K said, as she pulled a bridle onto the roan. "I need to clear my head. You're welcome to join me, if you'd like." Storm smiled warmly at her. "I'd love the company."

"Maybe another time. It's too cold for me to ride. I'll watch from here, if you don't mind an audience," she replied as K jumped up from a bucket on the ground. She quickly settled herself on it's back and gathered up the reins.

"I probably won't be long," K told her with a twinkle in her eyes. "It's been years since I rode, so I'm sure I'll fall off pretty quickly."

"It may help if you use a saddle, K," Storm smiled at her as K's grin grew.

"Yeah, probably. But this is more fun," she replied as she walked the horse out of the barn and towards the driveway.

Halfway there they began to trot, and before long they were flat out running around the estate. Dirt flew from the horses' hooves as they went and his snorting echoed back to Storm in the barn as K leaned forward and urged the horse to go faster. Storm laughed as she watched her ride.

One of the students she had once likened it to flying. She'd never believed her until she saw K drop the reins and slowly raise her arms up as the horse raced on. She wasn't the only one watching either.

Logan had been working on his Harley and had taken a break when he heard the horses' pounding hooves and rhythmic snorting up in the garage.

He lit a cigar and leaned in the open door frame watching the show as she started off, surprised when she transitioned so quickly to cantering and even more so when she urged it to run. Bareback to boot. The horse turned towards the small cross country course Jean had wanted to keep up and his concern grew.

Some of those jumps weren't small, and from what he'd seen it was not an easy _with_ a saddle for those that did ride it.

He stepped forward when he saw her raise her arms out as the horse pointed at a low jump. They flew over it with K looking as if she'd glued herself to it's back. She kept her arms out as they continued down the course. They took one larger jump after another and the horse turned and evened out his pace as if he'd done it properly a thousand times.

After the last jump, K leaned far forward, her arms around the horse's neck as he panted from his run. She urged him to walk, and did circles and serpentines at a slower and slower pace as he caught his breath. She worked him a little more and tried to see what he knew as she slowly let him cool down. Logan shook his head at her. She didn't tell him she was that good of a rider. He watched her until she disappeared into the barn again before he turned to continue his work. Not long after, He could smell horse sweat as she entered the garage.

"Hey there," She said with a big smile on her face. "Need a hand?" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled up a creeper seat and slid up next to him.

"Sure, if you want, but you're just gonna get dirty if you stick around," he told her. She bumped his shoulder playfully and pulled the oil pan over with her foot.

"Already got a head start on ya," she told him, before she pushed the pan under the bike. He looked up and smiled at her as he pulled the filter and removed the nut on the bottom of he block and let it empty in the pan.

"Saw you ridin'," he started nonchalantly. "You didn't tell me you were that good." She laughed it off.

"I'm not. I mean, I'm a decent little hand, but nothing special," she said as she helped him to remove and set it to the side to access the battery.

"I don't know. I happen to know that horse doesn't like to jump, and you had him doing everything you wanted," He replied as he watched her out of the corner of his eye.

"He just needs clear cues. Anyone could do that," she said while she pulled the wires from the terminals. She had lost her smile and was looking more serious. She didn't realize that he was watching her.

"You think anyone can do it bareback too?" he asked. She stopped her efforts to pull the battery before she wiped her hands on her jeans.

"You know, you're probably right. I'm just going to get dirty here. I'll leave you alone," she said as she made to stand. Her shift had Logan wondering what had just happened. He put his hand on her thigh and gave her a squeeze.

"Now wait a second. You don't need to run off. What's wrong?" he asked, watching her downcast face.

"Nothing. I just - I took a little ride. It was over so I thought I'd help you. But I should have just listened to you to start with. Now I just want to change my jeans and curl up for a while," she told him, not meeting his eyes. He couldn't understand her sudden mood swing.

"Alright. I'll be up in a bit. I'm almost done here," he told her before he leaned over and kissed her temple.

"Take your time," she told him with her eyes still down cast as he lifted his hand from her leg. She stood up and walked slowly into the house with her arms crossed over her middle. He was still looking in her direction after the door closed behind her when Storm walked into the garage.

"What's going on with her, Ro?" he asked, not bothering to even say hello. She barely smiled as she sat down next to him.

"She needs help, Logan. She's depressed. She's still fighting her demons and it seems they are winning more and more frequently," She told him as he stared at the dangling terminals. "She's doubting herself at her very core."

"What's it gonna take to fix it?" he asked quietly.

"She hasn't healed yet. She needs to face that program to let her get over this," she said as her hand rested lightly on his shoulder.

"How? Jean deleted it for me and I won't attack her myself like that. I don't want to wreck what we got going on," he said. He was sure he'd botched this up for her.

"Maybe I can retrieve it somehow," she replied cryptically. "I can run it with her, you need not watch." He sighed heavily as he looked up at her and shook his head.

"It never got deleted, did it?" Logan asked. Ororo just shrugged slightly, a mona lisa smile on her face as he smirked at her. "Good. I need to face it too. I've lost too much sleep over this already. Besides, I might be able to help her learn to fight." Storm smiled, not having expected a reaction like this from him but tickled that he'd come to the conclusion without much effort on anyone's part. She left quietly as he finished changing the oil on the bike. He topped it off with gas and grabbed the battery to take into the house for the coldest part of winter.

He found K in _her_ room curled up in the window seat as she watched the snow start to fall outside.

"Hey sweetheart," he said as he closed the door behind him. "We need to talk." She sighed and leaned her head on the glass, expecting bad news.

"I didn't exactly think things through the other day in the danger room," he admitted as he waited for her to turn to him. "I was wrong. If you want to gut Creed, I sure as hell can't blame you. You got as much or more of a reason than I do." She turned to him and locked eyes with him.

"Did Storm talk to you?" she asked. He nodded and admitted that he'd been thinking about it since he pulled her from the sim. She turned to face him properly.

"You're alright with me trying to fight him again?" he nodded.

"I need to be there too. I want to help you if you need it, and when you're ready I need to be able to watch you do it alone." She fell silent and simply considered what he was proposing for a moment.

"You're sure you're OK with this?" she asked warily. He shrugged in response.

"Gotta be done, right?" he said gruffly.

* * *

The next morning they began working her on what K considered the 'secret' simulation. Her new schedule was straight forward. Danger room in the morning and Jean trying to rewire her in the afternoon. Jean and Ororo were to always be in the booth and Logan was with her, though he promised to keep back unless it got too far out of hand, or she asked for his help.

He was too tense to stay in the booth, and Jean thought it would help him to heal from it if he was able to jump in if needed.

The first session went … alright. To Jean and Ro's surprise, she didn't wait for him to attack her. She was more than ready to fight but her follow through was something to be worked on. It took several tries before she got to a point where he didn't have her pinned and bleeding in the first few minutes. Logan looked stressed, but he was keeping to his word. He gave her a few pointers and soon she could hold her own.

Things were progressing well until the simulation pinned her in a near exact situation as he had outside the facility. That position was near impossible for her to throw Logan, let alone Creed and when she couldn't move Logan snapped and shredded the robot into too many pieces to count.

When the dust settled, he was standing over her, panting, claws out, and totally feral as she looked up at him from the floor, simply waiting for him to calm down.

When his eyes landed on her he started to relax. He straightened up and his claws retracted as he fell to his knees. She reached out to him and rested her hand gently on his thigh as she smiled at him. When he turned to look at her he expected her to get angry. Instead she crawled up to him before he could entirely relax, and kissed him back to himself as she purred out _'my hero'_. When she broke the kiss, he was smiling at her and holding her lightly.

"Thought you'd be mad," he said looking at a fragment of the robot laying in front of him but she was shaking her head.

"No," she said "You jumped in right when I needed you." She leaned against him and kissed him again, only to stop when Jean cleared her throat from the booth.

"I think that's enough for one day. Watching him go after her like that is … unsettling," Jean said as Logan helped K to her feet, both of them felt a little better at how the training was going.

The afternoon session was largely uneventful. She spent most of it unaware of what was happening, but was very tired afterward.

The next day K entered the danger room with Logan, expecting the same until Logan gave her a kiss and told her he wanted to have her approach it differently.

"Wait until he attacks," Logan directed, worry was clearly on his face as he said it. She was stunned.

"But, I don't have a chance once he gets a hold or me," she said as her voice shook. He nodded.

"I know. That's why we have to practice it. I know you can hold your own when you know he's coming and you're ready, but he doesn't do that very often. You gotta practice where you need help."

She took a deep breath as she tried to steady her nerves. He was right but she hadn't mentally prepared for that. Logan stepped back and she simply waited for Creed to appear.

She started to walk and she probably didn't get more than 50 feet before he materialized and pounced. She got two shots in before he had her pinned hopelessly.

Logan's claws came inches from her face as he popped them through Creed's head as he ended the first simulation for the day. It continued much like that for the rest of the morning. By lunch time, K was worn out and emotionally drained. Logan called it a day during the last sim when K couldn't even defend herself and she just fell to the floor as Creed charged her. She managed to hold her arm up to try and block her face when he hit her and knocked her out cold.

Logan was carrying her when she woke up, dizzy and exhausted. He looked apologetic as he took her upstairs. He brought her to his room and began to strip her down. He offered her one of his flannels to wear as he put her in his bed and tried to get her comfortable.

"Why are you being so nice – how badly did I do?" K asked him as she buttoned up the flannel over her bare skin, the uniform forgotten in a pile near the door. She had already leaned back into his pillows. He pursed his lips, and sat down next to her.

"You did about as well as expected. I'll be reviewing the footage for a few days, trying to see if I can find a way for you to fight back." He told her, as he pulled up the covers for her. "Right now, I'm going to go get you a bite to eat. Rest. I'll be back soon." He kissed her and slipped out once he knew she was doing as he'd asked.

He leaned against his door for a moment in the hall as the latch for the knob clicked into place, just to gather his thought. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He felt horrible. That last hit was so damn hard. She just didn't have a chance from the way he came at her. Jean had said she could feel the impact from the control booth. K had actually even stopped breathing for a moment from Creed's last attempt to take her head clean off.

He waited a bit and was pleasantly surprised when Jean brought him some food for K.

"I knew you wouldn't want to leave her. How's she doing?" Jean asked. He shook his head.

"I don't think she knows what happened to her. She's tired so I'm going to stay close and just keep an eye on her," he replied before he thanked her and slipped back in the room.

He wasn't surprised fo find that she was asleep when he came in. He set the food down on the dresser and stripped down before he slid in next to her and pulled her to him, soundly asleep.

On the other hand, he couldn't sleep. He watched over her most of the night, several times just watching her breathe seeing as she hadn't moved a muscle.

When she woke up the next morning her head was pounding. She rolled onto her back and pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes. Logan quickly got up and closed the curtains to cut out the sunlight.

"What happened?" she moaned as she pulled his pillow over her face. He sat next to her and told her how the session had ultimately ended. She picked up the pillow to peek at him before she rolled onto her stomach, mortified that she'd let herself get hit that hard.

He started rubbing her shoulders as he showed her yet another hidden talent as he worked the knots out of her. She was nearly asleep again by the time he finished massaging her.

"Hate to do this to you now that you're all relaxed and happy, but we gotta get up," he told her as he kissed her shoulder. She rolled over slowly as his shirt crept up her legs. She kicked the blanket down and smiled at him sleepily.

"Are you sure we have to get up?" she asked as she lazily unbuttoned the shirt she wore, exposing what little she'd slept in. He laid down beside her again and slid his hand under the now open shirt as he slipped over the top of her. He couldn't stop himself from kissing and licking her collarbone.

"You make it hard to do the right thing, woman," he growled out against her skin. She smiled as she started caressing his shoulders and nipped at his neck.

"You have a bad influence on me," she replied as she squirmed under him and he slid his hands down her sides. When he'd worked his way down to her belly button he finally stopped.

"We're gonna be here all day if we don't get up right now," he said between kisses. When he finally stopped himself, his eyes locked on her exposed flesh and his thumb still ran over her hip bone. She propped herself up on her elbows as he looked her in the face, torn between getting her down to hot food and a passive medical exam or just going back to pushing her back into the pillows and having his way with her.

He'd moved up from her belly button as her little hands urged him back to her mouth. She kissed him and tipped her hips toward him when he began to go for option number two and slid off her underwear.

Before things could progress however, there was a knock at the door. He snatched up the blanket and covered them both up while Kitty asked when their session was set to start.

"Not using it today, Kitten. Take it if you want it," he told her as K peppered him with kisses, nips and licks while he tried desperately to convince himself that he shouldn't stay in bed with her. When he truly stopped returning her affection, K made no moves one way or the other, instead going neutral on him to make him choose. She figured he knew what she wanted.

When Logan forced opened his eyes again K was looking back at him with a small smile.

"We're probably going to have to get up after all," she said as he protested now. His brows drew together as he shook his head slowly and slipped between her legs. He shimmied out of his boxers and had decided the day could wait as she wrapped herself around him.

When Kitty knocked on the door and called out to him again a few minutes later, Logan flat out ignored her – far too interested in the likely scenario of a different brunette calling his name as she writhed beneath him.

K was in no shape to respond for him as Logan worked hard at keeping her mind occupied with other things.

* * *

Kitty was on strict orders from Hank to get them out of Logan's room. She knocked a third time and bit her lip when there was no answer. She rolled her eyes, and walked back to Hank telling him she couldn't bother him when she knew he had her in there. He told her to return and get K in the kitchen ASAP.

Kitty was sick to her stomach. She knew Logan would be furious if she interrupted. She returned reluctantly and knocked one last time. When there was no answer she opened her mouth to ask for K. Before she could however, Jubilee tapped her on the shoulder and motioned for her to follow her.

"Don't do it," she warned Kitty. "They'll come out when they're done, and you KNOW you don't want to walk in and see them … you know." Kitty agreed, of course.

Knowing what was happening was one thing ... seeing it in living breathing action quite a different story.

* * *

K was a mess when Logan was finished ravishing her. Her hair was a straight up disaster and she needed a shower badly. Logan refused to leave her alone and unguarded until Henry could give her the all clear though, so he sent her to the shower and stepped out of his room with the intention to get her some clothes. He stopped short a few steps from his door – a little surprised to see Kitty and Jubes a few doors down, arms crossed and smirking at him. He looked between the two of them before deciding that this could work out to his advantage. He cleared his throat a bit before trying to break up the two of them – who as far as he could remember they hadn't really liked to chat until now.

"Can one of you girls go get K a change of clothes? She's kind of in need," he requested. He was totally unashamed even though he clearly looked as if she'd put him through the ringer too. Jubilee's eyes widened and Kitty smiled as she nodded and ran through K's door to pick out some things quickly for her. Jubilee just frowned a bit at him as they waited for Kitty's return. Seemed like the firecracker didn't have much to say all of a sudden. When Kitty returned and casually handed a little bundle of clothes to Logan she was blushing.

"OK, Everything she needs is here." She put her hand on his arm to stop him from just slipping off and made sure she was looking him in the eye as she delivered her message. "Hank is pacing in the kitchen waiting to check her over," she informed him. He huffed in response and headed back to his room. Before he touched the door knob though, she continued, freezing him in his tracks. "Oh, and one more thing, Logan. You know, if you're going to keep doing this, you really need to just move in together. Save you a load of trouble if she has her clothes with yours. She's already in your bed every night." Kitty told him as she crossed her arms across her chest.

He blinked hard a couple times, mumbled a thanks and nodded, for once not meeting the girls eyes as he returned to his room.

The two girls stared at each other, mouths open and giggling. Had they really embarrassed him? Was that even possible? For the first time in both their memories, they headed downstairs together, discussing the ramifications of their Wolvie clearly falling for this woman.


	17. Great Minds think Alike

Hank's irritation disappeared when K walked up and pulled a chair out. She sat in front of him away from the table, her knees together, back straight and hands resting on her knees primly as she smiled at him.

"Sorry you had to wait," K said quietly as she composed herself. She made a motion with her hands as though she were smoothing out her jeans. "But, I will endeavor to cooperate, _albeit reluctantly_ to the best of my abilities." She ended with a playful smile and a twinkle in her eyes that made him smirk as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. She was teasing him. That at least, was a good sign.

With a shake of his head, he looked her over. She barely flinched when he said she'd need to go the lab if she took another hard hit like that again. After they discussed things and she allowed him to finish his exam, he gave her the go ahead to resume training. She grinned and gave him a kiss on the cheek that made him blush purple.

"Thank you. For being so patient with me," She explained before she stood to get a cup of coffee. She returned shortly thereafter focused solely on the caffeine in front of her. The two of them sat in relative quiet as Henry started up a quiet conversation with her consisting entirely of small talk as he tried in his own way to get to know her a bit better. After all, one can only learn so much about a person from clinical tests. She was warm and engaging and he noted she didn't tease him one bit about his coloring or fur as most did when they started to feel comfortable with him. It made him relax around her – which just made their conversation that much more engaging.

When the conversation died down a bit, he felt no need to rush back to the lab, deciding instead to join her for coffee – even if he'd already had several cups waiting for her to show in the first place.

As she started to take a sip of a fresh cup, Kitty sat down across from her. Moments later, Jubilee took the seat next to her. She thought it was odd, but wasn't too concerned until Betsy joined them too. Then she was on guard.

Hank watched carefully and being the inquiring mind that he was, he wondered what was getting ready to happen. It would have been unscholarly to leave so he decided to stick around, though he hid his intentions by working on the crossword puzzle.

Kitty hadn't really seen K much outside of the first night she'd been conscious. She'd liked her well enough then but most of what she knew about the woman was from what Jubilee, Jean, and Storm had told her. It wasn't enough for her considering how Logan was so obviously hooked. She needed to see how K felt about her father figure.

"So, _K_," Kitty started as K lifted her eyes to hers, looking rather approachable at the moment. It wasn't until just then that Kitty realized that 'K' couldn't possibly be her name. It made Kitty start to fiddle with her coffee mug. "We were curious. What are your intentions with Logan?" she asked doing her best to look serious.

K paused and her eyes widened, taken off guard by Kitty's question. If she'd had coffee in her mouth she'd have likely choked on it. She cleared her throat and looked into her mug trying to figure out how to answer. Clearly the young woman was just concerned for him. She knew Kitty was important to him too ... so she didn't want to lie or mislead. She took the honest route.

"Well – I think you'd have to ask him," she replied slowly, though she didn't meet her eyes. Though it was a bit out of her normal repertoire, K blushed a little when she heard the words leaving her mouth. She felt incredibly uncomfortable as the trio now stared at her open mouthed, though she didn't miss Henry's interested look over his spectacles either.

"You mean you don't know," Kitty clarified in a slightly irritated tone, her eyes narrowed as she watched K shift in her chair. Kitty was sure the woman was serious about him but her answer had made her wonder if this was just another fast burning affair for both of them.

"What do you want from this?" Jubilee asked, shocking herself that she'd managed to keep _her _tone neutral. Jubes was sure K had fallen for him. Why wouldn't she? But she also really didn't want to see him get hurt again by some woman he'd completely fallen for. Even _she'd _seen that too many times. Betsy watched the little brunette stare into her coffee for a moment, and a smile formed on her lips. It made the little ninja relax.

"You girls have it wrong," Betsy said as she lifted her cup to take a sip. "You should be asking him his intentions, not the other way around. She's in love with him." K's head popped up and her eyes locked on Betsy's.

"_I don't know that_ – I – we haven't been together – how would ... how would _you_ know that?" K stammered. Kitty and Jubilee shared a quick glance and both smiled as they watched her flounder. They took that as a good sign but Betsy leveled with her, her perfect eyebrow arched as she spoke.

"Even if I _wasn't_ a telepath, anyone that's been there can see you're hooked. I just think it's a little sad that you have no plan other than to just give _him_ the reins," she said critically. Kitty and Jubilee held their breath as they watched K's mouth drop. She seemed to look almost as if someone had accused her of something awful. Like drowning puppies for fun and money.

"You know what?" K said as her whole demeanor toughened up suddenly "If it's meant to happen, it will. It's not up to me to try to force _anything_. All I know is that I'm going to enjoy whatever this is while I'm able to." She leveled her glare at Betsy and waited for an insult or criticism from the gorgeous model. And though her ferocious glare set Psylocke back, she smiled at her.

"That sounds precisely like something he would say. Which ... I think is good," Betsy said, highly amused at K's take on things. K lost her defensive tone and wrinkled her brow as she continued. "He needs someone that understands him. And it certainly looks like you do. Which makes it just that much more tragic that you two are approaching it in the same manner – the blind leading the blind as it were."

Hank had just watched the whole conversation like a tennis match. He cleared his throat and gathered his paper and coffee. As he pushed his glasses up his nose, he excused himself quietly and disappeared back to his lab. Not that any of them moved a muscle as he slipped off. No one at the table said another word. K was livid, but couldn't seem to find a thing to say to any of them so she just glared at each of them in turn and abandoned her coffee to silently slip away.

Kitty regretted having brought it up now that she saw that K didn't seem to be approaching Logan like someone to be used and tossed aside.

Jubilee was scared now that since K was angry with her, it was likely that Logan would also be angry with her very soon.

Betsy however was just trying to think of a way to manipulate the two to get more serious. Unlike the other two, her rapport with Logan had already clued her in as to how he felt about the woman, whether he acknowledged it or not.

* * *

K was a little irritated and frankly embarrassed that they'd cornered her like that and questioned her as if she had any say in the matter. She headed down to the danger room, though this time she made her way to the booth and sat with Scott as he ran a class of students through a simple simulation.

She took a seat next to him without saying a word. Her arms crossed while she watched the students as they tried their best, tripping occasionally and some of them screaming as they were accosted by MRD. Scott hadn't taken his eyes off the kids more than to simply mutter a friendly hello as she sat down.

When she huffed instead of answered, he figured it best to just leave her be. She continued to watch the students fumbling and her irritation grew as she thought about the talk with the girls. When Scott dismissed the class he turned to her finally and decided to try and help whoever had tried to get in the woman's cross hairs.

"I have an open hour. You want to burn off some steam?" he asked. K looked at him like he was up to something. Though who could blame her? So far the morning had been enough to make her want to injure someone. It had started so, _so _incredibly well. And gone down hill so fast after that.

She bit the inside of her lip as she weighed it out and decided she'd slap the living shit out of him if he so much as asked her about Logan but agreed to join him. She walked with him down to start the simulation in silence. The only question Scott asked her on the way was if she wanted to change first. He wasn't surprised when she shook her head no and he opted not to push her to do so.

When they left the room an hour later, Scott was smiling. It was the first time he'd gotten to work with her and he was pleased with how it had gone. She definitely worked better pissed off. He wondered if it was a feral thing as he laughed at his own little inside joke when the thought crossed his mind.

She still hadn't spoken since the booth, but at least she was far more relaxed and a lot less angry. As they rode the elevator up, he finally decided to ask what was bothering her.

"So, who got on your bad side this morning?" he asked as he tried and half failed to repress a smile. She sighed.

"Kitty, Jubilee and Betsy."

"AH," he said in total understanding as to what the trouble was. "All three at once. They mean well. Don't let them get to you." She leaned back against the wall of the elevator with her hands behind her back as she looked up at the tall leader of the team.

"I know," she sighed. "They just want me to answer questions I have no answers for." The sad tone to her voice had Scott confused.

"You and Logan alright?" he blurted out - she shrugged with a sigh.

"I don't know. I think so. I don't know how he handles … whatever the hell this is. I don't know what to even call it," she answered while looking at the floor.

"You really don't know what to call it? You're kidding right?" he said with his brows drawn together. "Don't tell me you're as bad as he is with committed relationships." His tone was dry.

"Well, I don't know how bad he is in that area, so ... I dunno. Maybe." She looked anywhere but at the tall brunette. Now he understood. They were grilling her on where things were headed with him, and she was as clueless as Logan was. Unexpectedly, Scott stepped over and gave her a tight hug.

"If you're leaving it in his hands, he'll figure it out if he hasn't already. They're asking you because he's in deep and everyone can see it. They just want to protect him." She laughed a little at how the conversation had shifted so easily.

"You know, I went into the danger room with you having decided that if you tried to talk to me about this I was going to slap you around," She told him frankly as he released her from the hug and the two of them stepped off the elevator.

"Good luck with that," he replied with a stunning smile that got a chuckle from her. She laughed in response as the two of them climbed the stairs. She almost made it halfway down the hall to her room when Logan caught up with her.

"Where you been hidin' all morning?" Logan asked before he wrinkled up his nose "And why _th__a__ hell_ do you smell like Scooter?" Scott gave her a quick salute with a grin from behind Logan's back as he walked backward toward his room and she had to keep herself from laughing. Little shit did that on purpose.

"Ah - Danger room – with Scott. He ran a little workout with me. He's not a half bad guy, you know," she answered as she opened the door to her room and entered with Logan in her wake. He spun her to him and kissed her, though his brow furrowed as the kiss ended.

"Jesus, he's all over you. What the hell kinda work out were you doing?" he asked, his expression was a little strained.

"He said it was some kind of brotherhood? I don't know. He did give me a hug in the elevator. That's probably what the smell is about. Don't think you need to worry about it." she told him taking off her shoes. He looked her over. "Of course, if you're feeling over protective, I'm sure you can watch the instant replay of the security camera in the elevator." No reason to pretend like she didn't know he was acting territorial.

"Why weren't you in a uniform?" he asked as she unbuttoned her now dirty, sweaty and bloodied jeans "This wasn't a planned session was it?" She shook her head no and continued to strip on her way to the bathroom. He watched her move and his eyes locked on a very nasty bruise on her back that was just now starting to fade.

"If he's not going to take better care of you, you're not going to work with him," he said as he ran a finger gently across her bruise. She felt a rush from his gentle touch and decided to not tease him using Scott – even if Scott had handed it to her so she could. She leaned back into him and he relaxed a bit when she tipped her head back onto his shoulder in a subtle submissive gesture. He leaned in to kiss her on the neck and smelled only his own scent mixed with hers on her skin.

"He wasn't supposed to take care of me," she told him as she stepped forward away from him and into the shower. Logan left her to wash up and waited for her on her bed. He laid there when she stepped out just watching her dry off then slip into some clean clothes.

When she was finished, she walked toward the bed, and sidled up next to him as he pulled her tightly to him. She seemed a little down and didn't say a word to him as she drew lazy designs on his chest with her finger.

"Why don't you move into my room with me?" he asked her suddenly. She stopped drawing for a moment then simply continued again slower without saying a word. He gave her a moment before he tried to look at her. When he still got no answer, he finally entwined his fingers with hers and just waited for her answer. The minutes ticked by before she picked up her head to look at him. She seemed to study his face as they stared at each other before she leaned up and kissed him.

"Alright," she said finally. He glowered at her a second.

"Took you that long to say yes?" he complained as she laid her head down on his shoulder. She shrugged.

"Sorry. I was just thinking it all over," she replied.

"Is it that hard of a decision?" he asked, wondering if he was wrong to ask her.

"No, of course it's not," she said, confusing him further. She shook her head. "It's been a rough morning, that's all." He kissed her head, trying to figure out what was rough about it. Last he checked it'd been a pretty damn good morning. Then he realized that the problem was from someone else.

"Who was givin' you a hard time?" he growled out, though he'd guessed at least part of the answer already.

"Forget it," she said. "Not important." He let out a low warning growl that made her pay attention.

"You said you wouldn't shut me out. Who." She felt guilty immediately when he put it like that. She couldn't even begin to hesitate or slip around it.

"Kitty, Jubilee, and Betsy," she said quickly with a dejected tone. He knew it would be Kitty and Jubes. Betsy was a surprise though.

"I'll talk to them," he said firmly. It was easy to hear the irritation in his voice.

"Don't you dare," she said, challenging him as she picked her head up to look him in the eye. "Apparently, they're concerned that I'm stealing your virtue." He smirked.

"Stealing my virtue? Sweetheart, that ship sailed a long time ago. Pretty sure there ain't a damn bit of me with any 'virtue' left to it," he said with a grin. She rolled her eyes at his commentary.

"You know what I mean." She sounded tired as she set her head down on his shoulder again. "To them, I'm some evil seductress hell bent on screwing you into submission or something like that. At least, that's what it sounded like they were alluding to." He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.

"I don't think I could fight you off if you were to decide to have your wicked way with me," he teased in a gravely rumble. She couldn't help but smile into his shirt.

"Oh, sure. You better watch yourself, mister. I might just lure you away to somewhere secluded and force myself on you." He waggled his eyebrows and pulled her on top of him as he kissed her all the while.

"No, no ... stop, stop. No. Oh, please. Please, don't. No. Don't stop. No, please ... please God, don't stop," he half whispered, half moaned between kisses as she tried to stop smiling at him.

"You're so wrong," she said with a breathtaking grin as she sat up on him and he leaned back and stroked her legs.

"Come on, let's get you moved," he said with a swat to her thigh. When she climbed off him, it was a quick job to simply grab what little clothing she had and re-hang most of it in his closet.

"Anything else?" he asked with a frown. She returned from her now mostly vacant room with her shampoos and toothbrush.

"Nope. That's it," she replied cheerfully. He had to admit that it was a little depressing that her entire life broke down to two armfuls of clothes and some soap. She smiled at him as she sat down on his bed to make a wisecrack about how tough moving was before she asked him when they were going to start the Creed simulation again.

"After I give ya a tour of your new room," he replied with a growl.

* * *

They got started early the next morning with K losing time after time. It didn't matter how hard she arched her back, or tried to twist her hips, once he had he pinned, she was done. She was wearing herself out trying to avoid him, but as she'd said to begin with, once he had a hold of her, she simply couldn't stop him.

They continued like that for weeks. Her lack of real progress had Logan getting concerned for her. From where he stood, it looked like she was just torturing herself. But she still hadn't given any indication of an intention to give up.

So the last time they ran the simulation, Logan was totally unprepared when she just gave up as he grabbed her. She didn't even try to fight as he pinned her down. Her face looked blank even before he'd bashed her head into the floor. Logan ran in and broke up the simulation as K just laid there.

"What happened?" he asked with concern as he looked her over. "Why didn't you fight?" She calmly stared at the ceiling.

"You can delete the program now. I don't need it anymore," she said quietly. To say he was confused would be an understatement. He sat down next to her and had her pick up her head to set in his lap.

"I've done everything you've told me. I've fought back with every ounce I had. It just didn't matter one bit," she said flatly. He watched her, getting worried that a breakdown was eminent.

"K?" he queried, unsure what to make of it. She sat up and kissed him sweetly and softly, as a sense of quiet filled the air around her.

"I've never had a chance to stop him. Even if I had, I never would have been able to do it. I can maim him. I can bleed him out – If it's a square fight, but an ambush – no. I can finally see that," she said, a little sadness in her voice. "I'm sorry I wasted so much of your time with that. But," she continued "every single time you were involved, you would win. I just need to pray that you're around if I end up with a gigantic raving lunatic jackass intent on raping or killing me." He leaned in to kiss her in an attempt to reassure her.

"I'll do anything it takes to protect you," he told her. She smiled sadly.

"I know you will if you're around. But, you shouldn't have to," she replied. "You taught me enough that I think I can handle just about everything that comes my way, and what I can't – I'll heal from it." She stood up and started to walk away. He quickly made to follow her. Her quietness had gotten to him. She wasn't exactly peaceful, but more resigned to the facts in front of her. She stopped in the doorway suddenly and met his eyes.

"I'm gonna go clean up," she said quietly with her eyes locked on his. He stopped in his tracks and numbly nodded his head. She wanted to be alone. She'd never asked to be alone before. He was pissed off at what she'd decided to simply take as fact. She had done everything right and still couldn't win unless the bigger guy made a mistake. It wasn't right. She'd refused to practice with weapons other than what she had on her naturally, which was a shame since the one time he'd gotten her to use a gun – she was devastating. The only saving grace she had in hand to hand was the fact that the second there was an opening, she didn't hesitate to take it. She was the most opportunistic fighter he'd ever trained.

But even that didn't change the fact that she just wasn't big enough against someone like Creed. Hell, he wasn't big enough. She was tiny.

Then it hit him. That's why he fixated on her. Her size dictated the fact that no matter what she did, no matter how smart or strong or fast she was, Creed's massive size would always overpower her. If he thought about it, that was the case with most of his victims, himself included.

He gave her some time to clear her head and found her asleep in his chair by the window. She was wrapped in a towel, all curled up on herself.

Gently, he picked her up and with her head lolling on her shoulders he letting her towel fall to the floor as he put her in bed and covered her up to let her rest. She woke up hours later in the middle of the night all alone. She pulled the flannel sheet up around her as she sat up and took stock of her surroundings. She sleepily wondered where Logan was. He had rarely missed an opportunity in bed with her, and she knew he'd put her in bed. She stood up with an uneasy feeling and slipped some clothes on before she padded silently down the stairs to the main floor.

The house was dark, and no one was around that she could find. It was a little eerie. She was used to someone being awake and around at all times. Her tension began to rise as she made her way through the house. She couldn't find a soul.

She decided to go back upstairs and see if she'd missed someone and was simply over reacting. She tiptoed from door to door down the teachers' wing but she heard no one in any of the rooms. She started to worry and instinctively went into a crouch as she worked her way to the student's wing. All was quiet there. Every student accounted for, but every single teacher was apparently MIA.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She had to be missing something. She stalked back into Logan's room and looked around for any clues.

Nothing was out of place. She again slipped down the stairs, wary of the dead silence around her. She chose to head down to the lower levels, though she used the stairs to keep from drawing attention to her by using the elevator ... just in case there was a situation at hand.

As she came up on the lab, she saw Hank working diligently as always. She let out a breath of relief and straightened up. She was far more relaxed now that she knew she wasn't alone with a house full of kids. At least he would be able to tell her what was happening. She slipped in unnoticed until she was nearly right next to him.

"Hi Henry," K purred out at him. He dropped the test tube he had in his hand when he realized she was standing there.

"Oh, goodness. You scared the dickens out of me," he told her as he bent to pick up the broken glass. She couldn't help but smile at him as she knelt down to help him. She'd never met anyone who would admit so easily they'd been scared by her.

"Where is everyone?" K asked after they'd cleared the mess and she took a seat on a stool next to him.

"There was a big to-do that came up. They are currently out trying to diffuse the situation and prevent innocent blood from being shed," K looked alarmed. "Oh, don't fret. This kind of thing usually finds it's natural end quickly. I expect them to be back by dawn at the latest." Hank's smile was warm as he rested his hand on hers. "It would probably be wise to just go back to bed and rest. The security system is on and will not disarm until the blackbird returns." She shifted on the chair and looked up at him somewhat shyly.

"Would you mind if I kept you company instead?" she asked. "I'm a little uneasy being the only person in an entire wing. Pretty sure I'd scare the life out of Chloe if she woke up and stepped on me in the morning." He looked at her with a bit of shock on his face that quickly morphed into delight.

"You would stay here in the lab with me, willingly? Are you feeling alright?" he asked, a little concerned. She shrugged and cast her eyes to the floor. He smiled warmly at her, and began chatting with her about the experiments he was working on.

Before it was over, she'd generously donated a pint of blood for his tests. As she was rolling down her sleeve, the com link crackled to life. It was noisy but Scott was requesting that Hank have a few beds ready for the injured. They were on their way. She helped him to prepare for whatever they might bring in, even going so far as to wheel down a pair of gurneys to the hangar with him for those that may need it. They had no idea how severe the injuries may or may not be – or who was in trouble.

When the jet landed, the sight of it took K's breath away. She couldn't believe that Scott had managed to fly it back. There was a large hole in the fuselage, and scorch marks on the wing. One of the landing gear was missing entirely.

When the hatch popped open, Scott carried Kitty down the steps and laid her on the first stretcher before he started to run her toward the lab as he shouted over his shoulder for Hank to get Logan out. K's heart jumped. Logan was among the injured – which meant it had to be bad. Field first aid had him held together, but he wasn't conscious and was bleeding slowly from somewhere.

Hank got him out of the jet and onto a stretcher before he told K to take him to the lab while he attended to the other injured parties. She got him there quickly and Scott left Kitty momentarily to help her jockey him into the right spot. He directed her as he told her where to put his monitor leads for his heart and breathing as he returned to finish up the same on Kitty. She felt helpless as she worked. Gambit and Bobby were the other two injured, though they were awake and able to make it in on their own.

Hank looked over to glance at Logan's injuries. His brow furrowed when he saw that he was still bleeding. But, Kitty was having trouble breathing and non-healer not breathing trumped healer that was every time. With a growled out complaint to himself, Hank was forced to abandon Logan momentarily. As he worked on Kitty, K took charge of Logan's injuries.

She started to remove the tape they'd used in the field even as Scott yelled at her to stop, but she shrugged him off as she cautiously slipped her hands across his torso with her eyes closed. She carefully felt her way across his body in search for the source of the bleed. Her hands were quickly coated in his blood. When she couldn't find anything immediately, she popped a claw and cut off his uniform, too impatient to wait for scissors. She ran her hands up his stomach and chest and found no injury where the uniform had been shredded.

She asked Scott for help when she realized it had to be his back since his front and sides were clear. She knew she wasn't strong enough to turn him herself. Scott shook his head but as Logan's blood streamed off the gurney, he knew it couldn't wait. Grudgingly at first, he helped her to turn him onto his side as K balanced him. Scott told her what had happened as she worked. She cut off the rest of his uniform top and began to search his side and back until she found a large wound near his spine. She looked to Hank, who advised her how to find the foreign object that had stopped him from healing properly.

She took a deep breath and began to slip her hand into the gash on Hank's direction. Her eyes closed as she tried to feel her way to find the problem as Henry coached her glancing at her from Kitty's bedside. Her fingers had just touched something metallic with a ragged edge when Logan woke up screaming. It was obvious that he was in pain from his injury but even more so at the hand inside him.

To everyone's shock, K quickly found herself skewered as she wrapped her fingers around the foreign object. He was clearly in agony and had no clue who he'd just stabbed. It was a good, solid hit too. He'd punctured her diaphragm and both lungs – a fact that made itself apparent to Henry almost immediately when she began to gasp like a fish out of water.

The injury meant that breathing was no longer an option for K, but she wasn't about to let go of the shrapnel for someone else to bleed over. With a grimace, she pulled out the metal that was jammed between his spine and rib cage and Logan twisted his wrist with a growl in retaliation, still not aware of what was going on around him. Blood poured from her as she dropped the shrapnel to the floor and her knees buckled.

His arm went with her, his claws caught up on her ribs and he finally blinked off the haze he'd been in just in time to see her blank face as she slid to the floor. Horrified, he retracted his claws and the bleeding increased even more as he slipped down right after her. His hands shook as he cradled her and she silently tried and failed to gasp for air.

The lab was silent except for the beeping machines attached to Kitty. No one approached them right away, partly for fear of Logan's claws, but partly from shock. He was reliving one of his worst memories and nightmares and she wasn't reacting beyond staring off blankly before her attempts to breathe simply ceased and her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

He froze. K was in his arms and her body was limp. Jean started to yell at him, but he couldn't string together what she was saying. It was Scott, as he tried to pull him away from her still and bloodied body that snapped him out of it. He shoved him away and laid her flat. He pressed his ear to her chest then started mouth to mouth, working frantically.

He was running on pure adrenaline. The team stared at them in disbelief. All of them, himself included thought he'd killed her, but he knew in the back of his head that if he could keep air in her lungs she'd heal up. He almost stopped when she coughed blood up, but Hank shouted his encouragement. A few assisted breaths later and she started coughing in earnest. Logan pulled her tightly to him, relief washing over him even as she was hacking up blood. The rest of the group all breathed out a sigh of relief when her blood soaked hands drifted up and clutched to him.

Kitty was stabilized finally, and Logan numbly allowed Hank to take K from his arms. Celia came in and looked over Logan while he was still in shock. As cold as it was, it was far easier to assess him when he wasn't able to focus on what she was doing or argue with her that he didn't need any intervention. Hank was relieved to find that her wounds were already closing up, which meant that most of the internal damage was likely already healed. The _amount_ of blood she was coughing up though was staggering. As soon as Henry saw on x-ray that her lungs were no longer filled with fluid, Logan was allowed to take her out of the lab.

She didn't ask any questions as she leaned on him and they slowly walked out. Both of them were covered in varying stages of drying blood. As they made their way up the stairs, Chloe happened to be going back to her room from the bathroom and froze when she saw both of them looking so beat up. Logan met eyes with her and she froze, terrified by her blood soaked teacher. She took a few steps backward as they passed, clearly scared for her friend as the two of them clung to each other.

He got them both into their room, and soon got the water running in the shower. The adrenaline had worn off and exhaustion had begun to set in. He helped her remain upright as he quickly stripped off her clothes. She surprised him when she reciprocated the gesture to him in silence. They leaned on each other for balance as they both climbed in under the water to take turns washing each other.

Logan couldn't understand why she was looking so hard at his body as she helped him wash up until he saw the blood under her nails and made the connection as to how and why he'd skewered her. He ran his hand carefully across her torso as the bubbles carried the blood away.

When they were finished, he wrapped a towel around her before she stepped out and he was truly surprised when she leaned into him and kissed him slowly and carefully.

"I was so worried about you," she told him as he stared at her, dumbfounded. He nearly killed her and she was worried about _him_? Unable to speak he simply showed her his concern through physical means.


	18. Reports and Refining

The mission that had left Logan and Kitty injured had been partially successful. The team had gone to offer support to the Avengers while they closed down a drug developer that was using mutants as guinea pigs in an effort to cure them of the genetic scourge. The raid wasn't supposed to happen when it did, but they had to rush it seeing as the developer had been tipped off by a leak within SHIELD.

Kitty, Cap and Wolverine had been leading the way in and as a result had taken on the heaviest fire.

Kitty had been able to simply phase out as she allowed the shots intended to her to simply pass through her harmlessly until the very end of their mission when she was hit before she could phase by a falling chunk of concrete. The blow was glancing, but it had done severe damage all the same. As a result, she laid in the med bay with a concussion and some stitches in her scalp. She felt awful when she finally heard how the rest of the evening played out.

Wolverine and Cap had managed to get her out of the building after the rest of the team freed the mutants they'd been using and removed all their research and documents. Stark had been careful to wipe their computers and zombify them to send any and all new information to his database in Avengers Tower in an attempt to monitor any further pushes to continue their unregulated, illegal activities.

Logan had just handed Kitty off to Cap and they were headed up the stairs of the blackbird when a most unexpected enemy showed up.

Logan had stopped cold, in total disbelief of what he had scented out. It didn't make any sense ... but his nose never lied to him. As he turned his head to try to catch a better scent, he was hit hard.

Creed was back. Seeing the lunatic was enough of a shock that Logan was taken off guard as he tried to gather himself. He slashed at him ruthlessly before Logan could pop his claws. It was obvious that their old feud hadn't lost it's white hot hatred.

It was hands down, the most vicious thing that Cap had ever been witness to. Stark was taken back at the ferocity of it too. He'd seen Wolverine fight before – but not like this. Not so raw and rage filled. He couldn't let it continue. In an effort to aid his team mate, Stark targeted Sabretooth and fired on him. It was hard to watch the two men with explosions accenting the bloodshed.

When Cyclops got involved too, Sabretooth decided to turn tail and run, but not before he gave Logan a parting gift. He stabbed him with a ka-bar and snapped the blade off at the hilt while his hand was wrapped around Logan's bare throat.

As soon as Creed released him and disappeared, Wolverine had stumbled towards the jet. He bled very heavily and the more that he tried to remain upright, the worse the bleeding became. Seeing his old comrade at arms in trouble, Cap rushed to his aide.

Though Logan protested the action, Cap ended up carrying the little feral to the jet before he passed out inside with Cap trying frantically to stop the bleeding.

When Logan woke up later at the med lab with someone's hand inside his open wound, he simply couldn't focus on his surroundings past the pain. It didn't help matters that all he could smell was blood. The fluorescent lights triggered him into a panic as he relived the torture at the labs of Weapon X in a flash.

It was all instinct from there. He felt his claws sink into flesh when the hand inside his wounded body pulled something out – he honestly didn't know if it was part of him or not. He savagely twisted his arm in retaliation, only to realize that it was a mistake when one of his claws caught on something. His claws didn't catch on anything, except more adamantium.

Clarity began to rush to him and when he blinked away the haze, he was sure his heart had stopped. Everything went numb as he dropped everything and went into autopilot trying to save her from his horrible mistake. When he tasted her blood that she coughed up during his attempt to get her breathing, the numbness finally started to break. He felt as if he was walking in a haze after that, just waiting for her to send him away until later when her kiss sent him reeling.

If he wasn't in love with her after that, then both of them had to be crazy. He thought the whole experience over as he drifted off with her curled up with him.

He realized what all of his team mates had to have gone through so many times when they were the ones watching him go to the brink only to come back as if it were not much more than a paper cut.

The only thing he hadn't been able to do yet with her was not panic when she appeared mortally wounded. His conditioning from watching the women he'd loved die so easily, comparatively made it impossible for him to overlook her wounds. But the fact was that she was still there. Alive, whole and against all reason in his mind – _with_ him was miraculous. Although she was tired, she was perfectly fine. It was an odd sensation for him, to see the other side. He knew what he had to do though. And it made him nervous.

* * *

He woke up the next morning to kisses on his neck that began to float down his chest. Her hands danced along his skin as they lightly drifted down his arm and stomach. Her hair hid her face from him as she worked her way slowly south. He tipped his head to the side and slid a hand into her silky hair to guide her up to his face instead.

"What's wrong?" K asked with a purr. She had a plan in mind to wake him up … and he was spoiling her fun. Logan just shook his head before kissing her with a growl. He pulled her tightly to him and kissed her deeply.

"I could have killed you last night," he told her breathlessly. She shrugged and tipped her head to the side.

"But you didn't. If it was Hank or Celia, they definitely would have been dead. But me? I'm fine – see?" she replied, using her point as an excuse to strip off her shirt. "Everything is where it should be." He growled and flipped her onto her back and pinned her down by her wrists before he slid his hands down her body. He paused and leaned in reverently to kiss the spots that he'd stabbed her. She slid her hands into his hair, as he readjusted himself to lay his head on her stomach, reveling in her just being there. She tipped her head to the side as she looked down at him.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked him in a more concerned tone him after a little while. When he looked up at her, she was no longer flirting or teasing … just genuinely worried for him.

"Yeah. I'm great. Couldn't be better," he told her with a sedate smile that she easily returned.

"You sure?" she asked as she continued to run her hands through his hair. He grabbed her wrist and turned her hand in his to kiss her palm, his eyes closed as he did so. When he opened them, she caressed the side of his face where he'd allowed her to leave her hand.

She was beginning to worry about him. This was new. She started to sit up when he rose to his hands and knees and pushed her back as he kissed his way up her torso. When he got up to her mouth, he set off a chain of events that kept them occupied for a good couple of hours.

* * *

Charles was concerned after reading the report about the mission. The incident last night was troublesome.

Logan had reported that Sabretooth had been killed at the laboratory in Montana, yet all accounts from those involved in the raid said that he indeed was alive, well, and angrier with Logan than he had ever been.

Still, he had yet to speak with the little feral and was concerned about Logan's well being after he learned about the incident with K in the med lab. By all accounts, it was an unavoidable occurrence that could and should have ended much worse had K not been there and decided to assist Hank in the lab with incoming wounded.

It was a certainty that Hank would have been the one on the receiving end of Logan's claws rather than K, who was following Hank's instruction at the time. Instruction that Hank admitted skipped over the notion of drugging Logan first.

By all accounts, K's reaction to her injury was far better than he'd expected. Jean said she was purposely trying to NOT look at Logan's face, and instead maintained a very passive expression. It seemed he'd need to have a talk with K as well. If they were getting as deeply involved as it appeared they were, then news of Sabretooth's resurrection would mean nothing but trouble for the couple.

* * *

K was nearly finished getting dressed when Logan asked her to join him with Charles. He explained that he had to report his side of what had happened and he told her that he'd rather not repeat himself, seeing as some of it involved her. Confused, she agreed though there was no way she could have expected all that his report would include.

Charles watched K as Logan revealed the fact that Creed had indeed seemed to have returned from the dead. She went entirely blank on the news. No fear, no panic, just flat acceptance. When Logan finished his side of things from the lab, Charles had to prompt her to answer him. He needed to hear in her own words what her perspective was.

"I'm sorry. I was a little lost in thought. Yeah. It was accidental. He's fine, I'm fine," K said, clearly not having really heard what Charles had asked.

"K, I was asking if you were going to continue with training on the simulation with Creed. It's a safe bet that he will come after one or both of you at some point in the future," Charles told her.

"Oh. Yeah. I guess so. Sorry," She replied. Logan looked worried as he rubbed her knee. With a glance at Charles, Logan decided it was time for a mental break.

"Come on, darlin'. Lets go grab a bite. We'll deal with training later," Logan told her quietly. He nodded to the professor and led K out. After they shared a late breakfast, K slipped away from him to their room while Scott discussed the mission run with K.

While she was alone, she pulled a bag from the bottom of the closet and started to quickly put her clothes into it. She was nearly done when Logan stepped into the room.

"What're you doin' darlin'?" He asked, his voice rough. On seeing the little woman packing, a jab of panic hit him in the heart a lot harder than he could have anticipated. She glanced over her shoulder with a guilty look on her face but forced herself to continue.

"You'd be safer if I wasn't here. He'll do all he can to kill you and all of your friends," she said in a monotone as she stuffed in an extra shirt. He took the bag out of her hands and tossed it on the bed.

"You think I don't know that? What about you? He comes after you and you're all alone, he'll do the same damn thing. I can't stand by and let that happen," he told her, his face stone. She looked just as stony when she turned to face him.

"I can't beat him. If he's going to kill me anyhow, I'd rather you didn't have to watch," she said quietly.

"Well, I'd rather he didn't kill you at all," he growled out. She broke the stare first as she wrapped her arms around herself. He pulled her in and with a crushing squeeze, he kissed her temple.

"I'm not going to lose you now," he mumbled. She wasn't expecting him to be so insistent. Her arms found their way around him and she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Let's start training then." she said quietly as her voice shook in the slightest.

* * *

Scott listened to what Logan had decided K's trouble was and integrated her program into another one he had prepared. He made the Creed scenario become a variable that would randomly show in any program that K or Logan was a part of running.

"This way, you will train on all the programs we normally use and hopefully it'll make it so we can add you to the team roster later on, if you're interested, that is. You won't know when he'll pop up, or if he will. That will make it more realistic, and ready you for any situation that comes along. Sound good?" Scott's voice echoed in the metal room. She nodded, and started her first session with Scott at the helm. He was absolutely brutal. He ran her full tilt boogie on programs designed for Logan.

The entire first session had no encounters with Sabretooth. At the end of her time, Logan and Scott were equally impressed by her performance. She could keep up. All the training she did under Logan's direction had her reacting every bit as quickly as him, but she still had to have some fine tuning done on her body count. She was killing almost all of her opponents. By the end of her third session, Scott was as close to in love with the idea of her being on a team as anyone could be.

"Why did Jean quit trying on her?" Scott asked Logan as K continued to drop her assailants with deadly accuracy.

"Wasn't workin'," was all Logan had to say in explanation. "Think Charlie can do it?" Scott considered the question while he watched her eviscerate a mercenary with a flick of her wrist.

"I sure hope so. She'd be more apt for X-Force than the X-Men right now," Scott replied. "Start taking her on runs with you. See how it goes. Maybe you can teach her to restrain herself." Both men shared a look and smirked.

It happened with no warning. Sabretooth appeared with a roar as he charged her. She stumbled as she tried to give herself some space and Creed missed her by a fine margin as she managed to stick him in the thigh. She cut his femoral artery and painted her face and uniform with his blood.

She righted herself and turned to face him – her intention was to go for his throat. She cut him deep, but he got a hold of her arm and in a split second had sunk his claws in her throat in retaliation. The simulation died, but not before K had been wounded severely. Logan was at her side quickly, holding his hands over her wound, as he gave her a chance to heal. He had tears in his eyes as he watched her knit herself together. When she felt she was healed, she rested her hand on his arm.

He was shocked when she sat up and asked Scott to start up again. Logan shook his head no, but K stopped him with a kiss.

"I have to be ready. This is how it gets done and that was an improvement. Yes, he took me down, but I took him with me," she said as her blood still dripped from his hands. He didn't like it, but he knew she was right.

With a heavy sigh, he left her alone again as Scott started up a new simulation. They worked until she physically couldn't go any further, then she fueled up with Logan at dinner and slept like a rock. After two solid months of every X-man in the mansion taking turns as they ran her through the paces in their own style and Charles sequestering an hour a day to work on her himself, they decided as a group that she was as ready as a single person could be. Scott elected to put her in some team exercises to round her out a bit better.

"If you're going to be part of the team, you'll have to learn how to work with everyone. Today, you'll be with my team. We'll be doing a simple game of capture the flag. No powers, everyone," Scott said with a grim smile. "And no claws, either of you," he added as he looked pointedly at Logan, who grunted in response. She took her place next to Logan as the rest of their team came to stand with them. It was going to be Scott leading with Beast, Wolverine, Psylocke, Gambit and Rogue against Storm's team with Jean, Colossus, Iceman, Angel, Bishop, Kitty and Nightcrawler.

The powerless battle was still total pandemonium. While the rest of Scott's team was tied up holding off Storm's team, K broke away and made the last dash for their flag. As soon as she'd snatched it up she ended up getting captured by Nightcrawler, who was the first to break the no powers rule.

As soon as he'd gotten her to their side, she fell to the ground dizzy and retching. Kurt immediately felt badly for her and tried to help her. He felt awful that he'd effected her so particularly since this was his first meeting with her and he'd wanted his first encounter with his best friend's new love interest to go much smoother.

He lost his sympathy however when she decked him hard and laid him out cold before she made a mad dash for Scott's base. Kitty abandoned her tousle with Gambit and ran towards Kurt, alarmed that perhaps K had broken the no claws rule. She knelt down next to the fuzzy elf intending to help him as he started to wake up. Still groggy, he pointed out his assailant as she ran hard, flag in hand and Colossus on her tail. She was nearly into her team's turf when Bobby quickly iced up the ground in front of her. Her feet went out from under her and she fell flat on her face with Colossus falling on top of her. At first, he pinned her down unintentionally. He shook his head hard and reached for their flag to return to their base when K started fighting back.

She kept to the no claws rule, but twisted herself around in ways that neither Scott or Logan had ever seen.

She managed to wiggle herself out from under him and quickly broke into a run again. Logan was so blindsided by her escape he just stood there watching her run until she nearly squeaked when Angel picked her up and took her airborne. Her sudden ascent caused her to drop the flag in the process, and Angel set her down gingerly with a smile in their 'prisoners' section alongside Gambit, who'd been caught just a few minutes earlier.

In the end, Scott's team won by a fine margin when Psylocke snatched up the dropped flag and handed it off to Rogue who flew it to their base. Only Scott mentioned the rampant rule breaking.

As she looked around the group with a smile, K found Logan talking with Piotr. She waited a fair distance away from them while they chatted – still showing a plain aversion to interrupting anyone's private conversations. She was taken off guard when the pair of them walked up to where she was sitting against a tree.

"Pretty impressive moves you had there, darlin'. Didn't think you could get away from Petey like that," Logan commented as he lit up a cigar. Piotr was smiling at her.

"You have a wildcat there, Logan," Piotr said with a grin. K just waited for the ball to drop. It sounded a little too contrived.

"Pete has agreed to help us," Logan told her. She raised her eyebrow at him.

"With what?" she asked as Kitty came up to the group with a serious look on her face.

"With your training. Think you can break that pin again?" Logan asked. K just shook her head slowly.

"I don't know how I did it that time." she admitted with a little laugh.

"You'll get it. This was for fun, and you were even smiling when you broke loose," Kitty commented. "I was watching while Kurt was laughing at the two of you. Even he was surprised when you slipped away from Piotr." She wasn't sure what to make of it, but agreed to try.

Now in addition to team training, she was slated to learn wrestling from the massive Russian. He would pin her in the manner of his choosing then she would try to get up with his coaching. When that _never_ worked, she'd just start trying to get out in her own fashion.

She didn't know have clue one to what she was doing, but it seemed to be doable when she wasn't scared or nervous. Logan was the one that figured that bit out when during a team session in the danger room, the random Creed appeared and lunged straight for her.

It took the team off guard as they're used to him going for Logan or one of the telepaths. She'd forgotten about him popping up randomly and it both startled and scared her. The same pin she'd kicked her way out from under Colossus the day before didn't work with Creed. Then Logan realized she was stiffening up. The next time Creed popped up and pinned her, she tried to control her fears before attempting to break his hold. It worked like a charm.

* * *

After that, training sessions lightened up. There were a few 3 man missions that went out. All of them simple retrievals of young mutants in trouble, but nothing terribly exciting. She was finally starting to relax again when Logan insisted she run the original Creed secret program.

"Why, Logan?" she asked, tired and flustered. "I've run that damn thing a thousand times and now Scott's even got it set up to randomly jump in. WHY." He sighed and leaned against the wall as he rubbed his hand across his face.

"He wants to do it again," he said quietly. She took a moment to process, then tipped her head as far back as it would go.

"He won't," she said firmly. He watched her appraisingly.

"He'll try," he shot back with his hands on his hips. "Will you be ready when he does? What if I'm not around when it happens?" She sighed and shook her head wearily.

"I don't know. He'll probably wait until you are. He's sick like that." She dropped her arms against her side and his expression got more serious somehow.

"I'm not joking, K. What if he gets a hold of you again?" he demanded. She tipped her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him before she just gave her head a little shake and turned around with full intentions of just walking away from him. The disrespectful move instantly riled him. "Wait a minute, we're not done talkin' about this." he growled out as he grabbed her elbow and hauled her around to face him. She let out a growl of her own to match his in challenge.

"What he did still bothers you, doesn't it, Logan?" she half growled out at him as heat rose in her voice. He was staring at her, ready to respond when she hit home before he could defend his insistence. "Tell me, is it because he hurt me – and you, or is it because he took what you think is yours." He stared back at her with a scowl as his temper rose. "Don't lie to me either, Logan. I'll know just as easily as you would." His mouth tightened as they stared at each other.

"He hurt you and I wasn't good enough to stop him. That's what haunts my goddamned dreams. The look on your face when he was raping you. The fact that I couldn't do a damn thing about it makes me sick still," he answered low and angry. Her shoulders slumped and she took a step towards him.

She looked down between them and reached out to touch his hand before she intertwined her fingers with his – the corner of her mouth pulled tight as she kept her gaze down.

"The look on my face," she repeated back to him with a nearly soundless chuckle. Without blinking, she slid her eyes to meet his. "That's something else, isn't it. You wanna know the truth? I don't even remember what it felt like. I was so upset you had to watch, I didn't even feel it at all until afterward. And then … _Then_ I … I was devastated. _Ruined. Worthless_. And it was the look on my face _during_, huh? Well, that's … notable because my nightmares are of it happening all over where I can feel it. All of it, and the last time I get to see you is when you have a freakin' muzzle on. He's choking you and your face is turning purple and I have nothing – nothing but your bloodshot eyes watching me panic as you die." He stared back at her, his expression void of the anger it held moments before.

"Ya know, he was only able to do it in the first place because like _you said yourself_ – he doesn't fight fair. He had you muzzled and unable to claw him – and don't you dare think that I didn't see him get a nut shot in either. How manly was that of him?" she said with some serious force, though the warmth in her voice had started to return. She dropped her gaze from him again and just stared at his boots

"When I cut him, it was because he was hurting you. If you weren't there in the equation, I probably would have just given up and let him do what he wanted. It would have been easier that way. But I was fighting for _you_." She suddenly felt very small and incredibly insignificant as she realized her internal filter was completely gone. She'd gone straight to saying her thoughts as they entered her mind. She closed her eyes tightly in an effort to focus.

"And," she said softly as she screamed at herself internally to shut up. "He took what was yours." She was blushing furiously and her ears were hot as she felt as though she'd made a total ass of herself. She cursed her brain for betraying her once again and failing to shut her up when she was ahead of the game. In her sure humiliation, she quickly began to mentally preparing to disappear into the night. Whatever it was that she had with him was shot now. Her stupid mouth had made sure of that.

"You mean that, darlin'?" he asked quietly. His voice was soft. She pulled the courage up to look him in the eyes. What she found was not what she expected. He looked – hopeful. She nodded her head as she held her breath.

"Every word," she replied, barely over a whisper. In an instant, he was on her, crushing her to him and kissing her desperately. They were lucky they were in their room at the time because they didn't come close to making it to the bed.


	19. The Best Things in Life

Jubilee was sitting on the couch with Chloe and Zoe, munching on popcorn and in a generally bad mood. The girls didn't seem to notice though. She'd been angry since self defense class two days ago.

Usually it was her favorite class because her favorite teacher was running it. However, class went badly ending early when she accidentally burned his retinas. He'd given her detention in the form of running with him at 5am for the next week as punishment for breaking the parameters of the exercise.

"Jubes, didn't you hear me?" Chloe asked, looking at her expectantly. Jubes glowered at her and shook her head. "Aren't you excited about the camping trip?" Chloe asked with an enthusiastic grin.

"Ugh. No. Why would I be?" Jubes replied, still angry. Logan had pushed her hard that morning all the way to the point that she was ready to paff him again just to make him leave her alone.

The last thing she wanted to do was spend the weekend after her punishment lifted in the dirty, frozen woods with him and his freakin' likeable girlfriend as they lived off nuts and berries and squirrels for two days.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to ACE this," Zoe said smugly, convinced that K had prepared them thoroughly. Jubilee rolled her eyes.

"You two have no idea what you're in for. Wolvie's running this show, there is no way it's going to be FUN. He's still mad at me," She pouted as she thought to herself _and I'm not going to get any time with him._

She'd gone to his room to try and apologize, just two hours ago and before she could knock, she could hear his voice, and he wasn't happy. _Craptastic_. That meant he was in there with _her_, and from the tone she heard, they were having an argument. Fantastic. Foul mood predicted for the week with a high chance of a rotten weekend while he took it out on them in the woods. Fabulous. Unless … unless they broke up and he opted to disappear for a month. She groaned at the thought. Yeah. Like that was any better.

When Jean came into the game room twenty minutes later and posted up a single sheet of paper on the cork board, the girls shared a confused look. It wasn't time for any big tests to be posted. They got up and read it before Jean had even cleared the room.

It was their supply list for the survival trip. Jubilee frowned as the sisters took note. Since when had Logna ever allowed supplies on a survival trip? Her eyes skimmed over the list and went straight to the bottom – Scott was running this trip. What? Wolvie never missed a chance to run the winter survival weekend. It was his element. He loved it. With a frown, Jubilee ran after Jean and called for her to stop.

"Something wrong, Jubilee?" Jean asked as she turned to look at her.

"Yeah, what gives? Why's Cyke running it this year? That's Wolvies' trip!" she protested her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Jean smiled at her kindly with an amused look on her face.

"I thought you were mad at him," Jean said as she laughed to herself. The little Asian girl had _just _been projecting about how angry she was over the trip happening at all just minutes before. Now she was mad that Logan, who she was actively avoiding, wasn't planning on going on it.

"Well … so what if I was," Jubes said as the steam went out of her sails. "But this is his trip. He loves it. No one's going to learn anything singin' kumbaya with Scott." Jean wrapped an arm around her shoulders and ignored the jab at her husband.

"Logan has had other business spring up that will likely need his attention this week. I don't know that he'll be done in time to run the trip. Just hope that it goes well for him. I'm sure he'll talk to you about it sooner rather than later,"Jean told her in an attempt to try and reassure her. All it did was confuse her further.

* * *

The couple was lying on the floor, catching their breath. He'd wrapped himself around her, and she him. Their limbs were tangled hopelessly and the sheets were barely covering them as she stroked his hair, as his head rested on her shoulder. Both their hearts were still racing and a thin veil of sweat covered their bodies.

She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and wondered what he was thinking now that she'd put herself out there on the line for him. Her buzz from moments before had already started to recede and she felt like a fool. Her stomach knotted the more that she thought about it. She was not the girl that fell for someone. Certainly not this fast – if ever at all. Of course, she'd _have_ to fall for the one guy with the sterling reputation of NOT getting too involved with anyone.

Suddenly, he started kissing and licking his way up her neck as his hands roamed her body, his passions obviously not fulfilled yet.

She tipped her head back to give him easier access when he stopped at her throat and kissed it gently, his hot breath sent shivers down her spine as it washed over her exposed throat. Blood rushed her ears and her hearing had gotten fuzzy as he worked his magic. He continued to slowly kiss his way up her throat when something very unexpected happened.

"Marry me," he said quite clearly between tender, firm kisses. It took a second, but her eyes flew open and she froze while he continued as if nothing had happened. She blinked hard and simply thought she was hearing things.

But then as she'd brushed the thought from her mind, he said it again while he kissed her behind the ear and started to work his way down her jawline towards her chin. She shifted in his arms and tried to look at him, but he wouldn't relent from his ministrations. Clearly he was enjoying himself as her mind and heart raced. He nipped sharply at her neck and said it again, with a bit more of a growl in his voice. She finally grabbed him by the ears and pulled him off her neck to look him in the eyes.

"Did you just -" she started to ask disbelief was etched onto her face as he locked eyes with her and he cut her off.

"Marry me." His tone was warm, the growl gone as he looked her in the eyes. Neither of them moved for a full minute.

"Are you serious?" she whispered, as if afraid he might hear her. She was sure she'd gone into shock. She couldn't feel anything that wasn't touching him.

"Don't make me ask again," he said as his hand slipped up to cradle her head just under her ear. Her heart was racing as she nodded, blinking rapidly.

"Okay," she barely whispered – surprised he'd asked and just as shocked right after ward that she'd just agreed. He grinned as he kissed her again and eagerly pressed her backward and resumed where he left off.

* * *

Logan found Jubilee in the gym, going through her routine on the balance beam. She'd seen him come in but purposely ignored him. He leaned against the door frame as he waited for her to finish. His arms were crossed as he studiously watched her move seamlessly from one move to the next.

When she finally dismounted from it, she stuck her landing perfectly and he couldn't help but smile at her. It was the smile that really threw her off.

"What are you so happy about?" she asked bluntly as she towelled off the sweat from her workout. She had her suspicions, but still didn't want to picture him ... no. Eew. Not going there.

"Well, for one, you really nailed that program," he told her as he uncrossed his arms and pulled out a cigar with a smirk as he walked toward her.

She just stared at him with her hands on her hips as she waited for whatever his sick twisted mind had concocted for her next punishment session for taking herself off the survival trip roster.

"Saw you're not going on the trip this weekend," he said with a bit of interest.

_Yep, _She thought to herself. _Knew it. Here we go, following leadership blah blah. _

"So seein' as you're not busy preppin' for that, I was hopin' you could help me out with a special litle project this afternoon," he said. His eyes twinkled and the smile was still on his lips. It took her off guard.

"Wait, what?" she said suspiciously, not sure at all what he was up to. "What do you need _my_ help for?"

"You trust me?" he asked. She nodded, determined to make sure he believed she did. "Can you be ready to go in half an hour?" she blinked off her confusion.

"Well, yeah, but where are we going?" She asked. She didn't know what to think when he told her they were going shopping.

* * *

When Logan took her into a jewelry store, Jubilee's eyes popped open. She looked at him warily.

"Whaaat are we doing _here_?" she asked him, nervous as she looked around the place like she was waiting for a snake to pop out and bite her.

"Two things. For one, your birthday present is ready, and you have to make sure I got the size right," her mouth dropped open as he led her to the counter where the sales girl was opening a ring box. He'd bought her a beautiful little sapphire ring that she'd looked at the last time she'd dragged him through the mall _months ago._

She slipped it on her right hand and was pleasantly surprised when it fit perfectly. She was overwhelmed that he'd remembered. More so when she realized he'd guessed her size. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Any anger she might have had toward him was gone when she realized how long he'd been planning this. He chuckled as she squeezed him.

"Oh, Wolvie, it's perfect – thank you so much! I can't believe you remembered!" she said as she stared at it on her hand, still in disbelief.

"I'm going to assume that wasn't a joke about my memory, ya little smart alek. I'm glad you still like it, kiddo. I know it's a little early. But now, I need a little help."

The shop girl was smiling at them and had two large jewelers boxes now sitting on the display case. Jubilee walked up to the cases warily. When the shop girl opened them up, she gasped and whipped her head toward her mentor.

"You're asking her to marry you?" she whispered. Logan shrugged and rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.

"Kinda already did," he admitted. He kind of loved the moment when he was watching her face and her mouth dropped. "Just need a ring for her now." Jubes screamed and threw herself at him again, nearly knocking him off balance that time as she hugged him. She was practically hyperventilating.

"You want _me_ to help you? What – why? Didn't Kitty want to go? Why didn't you bring K?" she asked in a rush. He just shook his head.

"I didn't ask Kitty, and K doesn't know what I'm up to. I wanted _your_ opinion," he told her. She kissed him on the cheek and he had to redirect her to the rings again.

She poured over the selections and dismissed the most flashy ones right away. Anything that was too high profile was dismissed as well.

"These are gorgeous, but they'd catch on the pockets of her blue jeans," Jubilee reasoned. Her thought process made Logan smile. That was somehing he hadn't considered. After she narrowed it down to around twenty or so different rings, Logan stepped in and made the final choice.

Jubilee was over the moon. No one knew about the engagement outside of the three of them. She was buzzing about it as they left the jewelry store. Jubilee pushed for details on how he asked her. Dying already to hear a sweet, romantic story … but she should have known better.

She grinned like a cheshire cat when he blushed ever so slightly and refused to tell her. His official story was that he asked her and she said yes.

She teased him mercilessly until he threatened to make her go camping with Scott. That got her to quit, though she smiled the rest of the way back as she hugged his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder.

* * *

Jubilee trotted up to Jean and K who were having tea with Charles in the dining room, excited to show off her new ring. K complemented her taste and Jubilee couldn't contain herself as she rushed in to give K a huge hug that stunned her as she looked to Jean and Charles for explanation as to why the teenager was suddenly so affectionate to her.

"Alright then," K said as she stood up slowly. "On that note, I'm off. Thanks for the tea, but I need some air." She headed for the garage as she looked for something to do or somewhere to go.

She found Logan there where he was working on his Harley. When she walked in, he was in the middle of hooking the battery back up. He looked up as she approached and greeted her as she longingly looked at the bike.

"You taking it out?" she asked. He nodded with a fond smile as he tightened down the terminals.

"Mid winter thaw, roads are ice free, gotta let her wake up a little," he replied as he worked. "You wanna join me?" She grinned but immediately shook her head no.

"No, well – yeah," she said as she wrinkled her brow. He stopped and looked up at her.

"Well, which is it?" She shrugged, unsure herself. He finished replacing the seat in it's proper spot and turned the fuel on before he swung his leg over it. He took a breath, turned the key, and hit the starter switch.

It turned over but didn't catch. He choked it, tried again and on the second try, it roared to life. The two of them shared a grin as the roar echoed the garage. He worked the throttle while she opened the garage door and he let the bike warm up. When it was running well he dismounted his plan was to give it time to get good and warmed up before he took it out. He handed her a leather jacket which she quickly slipped on.

She looked longingly at the bike as it ran. It's throaty rumble made her smile. He watched her for a moment before he leaned in and gave her a kiss. She was still smiling at him when the kiss ended. A few moments later, when the bike was good and warm, he motioned for her to hop on. She hesitated and lightly shook her head. He took a deep breath and leaned in so he wouldn't have to shout over the roar of the bike.

"Go on. Take her out. You've been wanting to do it since you saw it," he said with a smile as she realized what he was doing. She grinned and kissed him hard. He swatted her on the ass when the kiss broke then leaned over her shoulder as she got on to tell her the best route for this time of year. She didn't wait to be told twice.

She eased out of the garage and took note of the droves of students in the windows – she didn't know it was a winter ritual for the kids to take bets on Logan taking the bike out on days like this.

Most of the ice was off the road, and though it was still in patchy spots, with rock salt and sand scattered all over the road, a better excuse to ride wouldn't come for another few months.

The new and inexperienced students would bet on whether or not he'd dump the bike, evn though the leather on his jacket and the paint on the bike were their only measure of if it had happened or not. They were all clearly shocked when they realized it wasn't him on his Harley.

As soon as she'd gotten on the driveway, she poured it on, the back tires threw rocks as she went. He smiled watching her. He'd have done the same damn thing. She hesitated just a split second at the end of the drive before she pulled out onto the road and really let it open up. He lit a cigar as he leaned in the open garage door. He figured he'd keep an ear out for her.

* * *

K was over the moon. It was frigid cold, but her jacket cut the wind down substantially. Her hands were frozen around the grips on the handlebars, but the heat off the engine actually warmed her legs up a little bit. When she got to the spot Logan said to turn around, she downshifted as she approached.

The bike was handling beautifully. She couldn't help herself when she turned to head back and peeled out as she got back on the road.

She pushed it as she enjoyed the feel of it as it flew along the road.

When she returned to the Institute, the image of Logan leaning in the garage door, cigar in hand and smiling at her as she pulled up was a welcome one. She put it in neutral and made to get off when he motioned to just scoot back. She didn't hesitate and once he was in his rightful spot, she pressed herself against him tightly as soon as he got comfortable. He was smirking when he took off with her, the engine positively screamed as they left the driveway.

When they got back hours later, Scott was waiting for them, sure that this time Logan had dumped it. The two laughed as they walked in and dispeled his concerns entirely until he realized that both of them had scraped up leathers. In a bit of nerves, he rushed over and stuck his head in the garage. When he saw the damage on the bike he couldn't quite believe they had driven it back.

"What the hell happened?" Scott asked, still in shock that Logan had actually dropped it.

"Someone distracted me," he growled out. K smiled and shook her head.

"Don't blame it on me, mister. Besides, It was low speed," K said as she waved him off and Scott shook his head.

He cleared out as Logan pulled her with him to their room. She started to peel off her clothes and Logan frowned at the bloodied spots on her jeans. As she stood there half naked and balanced crooked, she pulled her foot out of her jeans wearing nothing but her underwear as he slipped his hands on her waist under the guise of helping her to balance.

When she stood up straight, he turned her around to kiss her. He peeled her hands off him as they kissed, and slipped the ring he'd bought onto her finger. She broke the kiss when she felt the ring and pulled her head back, as she stared at it – shocked.

"What did you- you didn't have to do this for _me,_" she said, her voice barely there, her hand shook as she looked back to his face. He was smiling. "You didn't need to do that for me."

"Of course I did. Do you like it, or should we exchange it for something else?" he said quietly as he cocked his head to the side. She just floundered a bit as she stared at the ring on her hand, her heart raced.

"It's … perfect," she mumbled quietly in total numb disbelief until he took her hand in his and kissed her again. "I don't have anything for you," she said in a bit of shock, as she glanced down to admire the ring he'd just given her again.

"I get you," he whispered with a little growl in her ear. "That's all I want."

"Well you … you got ripped off, pal," she laughed as she came back to her senses. He gave her a quick slap on her butt and let her pull away long enough to clean up. She got dressed in the last half way respectable outfit she owned as he washed up.

When he walked out of the shower, he was pleasantly surprised. She had put on a dress and was in the middle of slipping into a pair of heels. Her hair was in a simple but elegant updo and a shimmer of gloss drew his attention to her lips. He stopped dead in his tracks and stared openly.

"What's with the dress?" he asked as his eyes rested on her legs and she turned to look at him with a little blush.

"Jean popped in while you were in the shower. She said to put a dress on. She's insisting on taking me shopping. My wardrobe has been – decreasing since I got it. She said I don't have a thing that looks wearable anymore." She took a step toward him with an eyebrow raised before she twirled. She let the skirt fly out and showed off a bit more leg. "Looks like she's right. This looks ..."

"Beautiful," he finished for her. She stopped her self directed teasing and stared back at him skeptically.

"Please," she scoffed as she turned back to the mirror to criticize herself quickly. She wasn't sure she could take a complement from him when she looked so … out of character. He stood behind her and put his hands on her hips then leaned forward to start kissing her neck.

"How come I haven't seen you in a dress before?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back into his bare chest. She rested a hand on his arm and leaned into him a little.

"This is all I have left. I trashed all the jeans that I had. That," she said as she nodded to the shredded blue jeans next to his. "… was my last pair. I don't have any other options. It's this or naked, though naked doesn't sound too bad," she said with one eyebrow raised while her hand ran across his chest. He kept kissing her, then began to rub his cheek on her shoulder as she leaned back.

"You know, I don't _have_ to go anywhere. I'm sure they could grab some new jeans for me," she said as she turned to kiss him. Logan smiled and lifted her up just to set her on the dresser. He slid his hands up her legs and pushed her skirt up out of his way. He was starting to pull her panties down when Jean knocked.

"Knock it off you two. Come on, K. We have to get going," Jean said in a no nonsense tone. Logan weighed his options as he stroked her hip. With a growl, he straightened her skirt and stepped back with his hands on his hips.

"Better run, darlin'. Before I change my mind," he told her. She pouted and slid off the dresser before she leaned into him for a kiss. In a heartbeat, he was clenching his fists in the fabric at the back of her dress until the kiss broke.

"Go. Get more skirts," he growled out. She pecked him on the cheek and he nipped at her as she rushed out the door. Jean rolled her eyes at him as he watched K walk away. Halfway down the stairs, Jean realized K had actually dressed as requested.

"You're in a dress." K nodded and kept walking. "Are you in heels?" Jean asked as she took in the details on the little brunette's outfit. She just gave her an _'mmm hmm'_ as they hit the bottom of the stairs.

Betsy was waiting for them, as was Kitty. It was Betsy that did a double take on seeing a sparkle from K's left hand. She chose how to break it to the rest of them and simply stopped the little woman and looked her over appraisingly, a small smile formed at the corner of her mouth.

K blushed at their stares and finally tossed her hands up.

"What is the big freakin' deal here?" she asked, one arm across her waist. "You're all dressed the same as me – only taller and better looking."

"You really look nice – I mean, your _legs_!" Kitty said, smiling. Jean nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, you clean up really nicely. We just need to work on your makeup," Jean said as she pulled out a tube of mascara and stepped forward. K reached up to grab Jean's hand.

"Woah. Now wait just a damn minute. I don't need any makeup, lady, and if I did – I'd need my own colors – not yours," she said, insistent. Betsy reached over and grabbed K's wrist to diffuse Jean.

"Such a pretty ring – where did it come from I wonder." Betsy said as she smiled from ear to ear at the little brunette. Jean nearly dropped everything in her hands and Kitty pushed Betsy out of the way for a better look.

"Oh my god," Kitty said quietly as K pulled her hand back.

"Alright, knock it off! Convince me to go, or I'm headed back upstairs," K threatened.

"No you won't," Jean said with total confidence. "You actually need the clothes and I know for a fact if you go back into that room right now that dress won't be wearable. And it took me over an hour to find one that would look this good on your short little self." The color in K's cheeks rose up as Kitty rushed forward and gave her a tight, warm hug, laughing as she did so.

"I'm so happy for you two!" Kitty said with a grin. Now that she knew that the little feral _couple _had figured things out, she didn't want to let Logan's fiancee go. K hesitantly hugged her back, not sure what to say.

They hurried out, and waited until they were well on their way to the stores before Betsy began quizzing her on details. Unfortunately, Logan's bride to be was either unable or unwilling to answer most of her questions.

They rushed the trip out and tried to hurry her back, both for her sake and theirs. The more they pushed for details, the more resistant she got. Kitty and Betsy got it right away, very used to similar reactions from Logan when he decided it wasn't anyone's business.

When they got back, Kitty voluneered to help her take her bags up – there weren't many, but she wanted an excuse to congratulate Logan.

Kitty rushed ahead with the bags and left K to deal with Jean and Betsy who had already gotten all of the women in the mansion to gather on their arrival and accost her over her new jewelry and standing with their favorite resident feral.

Kitty knocked then walked through the door to find Logan fully clothed and on the floor meditating. She dropped her bags near the bed and waited patiently for him to acknowledge her. When he looked her way, she threw herself at him, much like Jubilee had and hugged him as hard as she could and kissed his cheek.

"I really like her, Logan. You two are going to be great together, and I promise I'll babysit for you." Kitty said much to Logan's amusement. He kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly.

"Don't go makin' any plans, half pint. There's plenty of time for that," he told her.

Frustrated, K finally made it in the room. Her hair was starting to come undone from all the hugs and well wishes she'd gotten downstairs. She looked exhausted.

"Goddamn, that was worse than wrestling Colossus." she said to Kitty's laughter. Kitty gave her a quick hug then ran through the door as K started putting things away. She'd gotten almost nothing but wranglers and a wide assortment of tops, which was what Logan had honestly expected of her.

She was nearly done when Jean knocked on the door. Unbeknownst to K, Jean had gotten two more bags worth of things for her. The telepath talked to her moment as K made to take her shoes off and relax, but Logan couldn't stop himself from interrupting them only for a second. He flung his arm out to catch her attention.

"Don't. Don't take 'em off. Just – leave 'em on for me," he rasped out before he stalked over to her. She froze, something was different in his eyes. Jean excused herself quickly and stepped outside. She leaned on the other side of the door slightly afraid to leave K with him while he was in a borderline feral state. Jean jumped as K screamed with laughter as he threw her on the bed growling. Jean blushed and quickly walked away, not wanting to eavesdrop on them once she knew K was in no real danger.


	20. Horsin' Around

_cew - Yup! It's been known to happen ... or at least, he's wanted it to happen. Never has worked out yet for him though._

* * *

He got a primal thrill out of taking her just by picking up her skirt and ripping off her panties. The easy access was more than he could pass up when it was _his_ woman in front of him.

When their romp was finished, she decided to throw him for a loop. She simply straightened out her dress and fixed her hair before she stood up and walked out of the bedroom door. He did a double take as she slipped out ahead of him. She waited for him at the top of the stairs, a little smirk on her lips as he slid his hand onto her hip and the couple started to walk down the stairs.

"What's the rush, darlin?" he asked with a bemused look as they descended. She refused to answer until they sat down with the group. She smiled a little wider and leaned in very close to his ear before whispering so softly he could only hear if he strained.

"The penalty for shredding my lingere? I'm not wearing any now." He held his breath as she kissed his earlobe and leaned back in her chair. His eyes slid down her body, trying to remember if she'd put a new pair on.

"Sonofabitch," he growled out as she turned her head away from him and bit back a smile. He was worthless for conversation that night until he reached over under the table and rested his hand on her the thigh nearest him. As the conversations went on, he slowly slid his hand further north in an attempt to break her concentration in return. She responded by simply shifting in her chair and offering him full access. When he realized what she was doing, a growl slipped out that he just couldn't bite down. He wanted to make her squirm, but he was half afraid of how far she'd let him go in front of the group. He doubted she had any boundaries if she thought it was a game of chicken.

For the rest of the meal, he was on edge and most of the team noticed. Jean reached out to K to see if something had happened. She answered her simply. _He's fine. Just trying to teach him a lesson,_ K projected to her and calmly took a drink of water. Her movements were the direct opposite of his in that moment. She was relaxed, fluid – sensual even. Then Jean realized what was going on and had to bite her lip to keep from smiling, though the blush raced up her cheeks and Scott had to give her a questioning look.

When they'd all finished, K got up and started to head towards the stairs when Scott came over to congratulate the two of them on their engagement. It kicked off a chain of hugging from every well wisher in the mansion.

Everyone took a moment to congratulate them, the men shook his hand and the women gave him hugs, and everyone gave her a hug.

Logan was getting wound up tighter and tighter the closer they got to their room though. He could smell every person that had hugged her, and the smell of the other women on him had him irritated.

All these scents and he just wanted to smell HER. He held the door like a gentleman and when the door closed, the sound of fabric tearing was audible from the bottom of the stairs, as was K's laughter. When he'd finished with her this time, she was a total disaster. He spooned her and kissed her shoulder as he reached around to caress her breasts and stomach.

"That was a dirty trick," he said as he finally pulled himself together. She smiled to herself.

"That's what you get," she said with a shrug. He bit her shoulder and growled at her. She turned to face him and bit him back harder and growled lower. He couldn't help but laugh. She was firey alright and since they'd hammered out their betrothal, she seemed much more relaxed with him. The idea of that made him smile to himself.

"Fine. Just do me a favor. No more dresses," he said as he slid his hand down her spine. She laughed to herself _a-HA! I got a way to get to him!_

"I thought you liked them … so I will not promise that. No way. Not when I know it'll get a rise from you," she said to him very low as she ran her hand down his stomach. He settled for a compromise in the end. She wouldn't do it very often if he didn't trash her clothes. It was a hard sell for her once he realized that more dresses just meant they'd be spending a lot more time in bed. Easy access and all that. By the time it was done, he was encouraging her to trade in her wranglers.

"By all means, please – switch. Get nothing but dresses, or better yet, just don't get anything. Charles will never forgive me when he has to pull my corpse from between yer legs, but I'm game," he teased. The mental image made her smile, and earned her a fresh assault.

* * *

By the next day, the snow had returned in full force. A small blizzard had dumped nearly two feet and the students and Bobby were making the best of it. Charles was watching them from his study as he appreciated that these kids at least, were allowed to act as such for a little while longer.

He was also trying to find a place for K in their teaching staff. He wasn't sure where her talents were outside of the Danger Room and he liked keeping the adults in the mansion on task to help the kids. He knew she had compassion for teenagers – which was in and of itself better than a teaching degree as far as he was concerned.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a lone figure headed towards the stables. K's long braided hair hung down the center of her back as she trudged her way to the horses in her quilted vest. Some of the older boys had tried to offer to shovel a path, but she declined them with a smile. She didn't see the gestures they made at her tiny retreating form. From inside the cozy office, Charles watched her fight with the door and the snow and he had to wonder if he should send them down anyhow. Before he could act on the impulse, she got the door open enough to disappear inside and close the door behind her. His attention went to the children again as he was fairly sure she was simply taking care of the chores there.

It was a simple pleasure he had, watching them play. Before much time had passed, Jean came in to bring him a cup of tea and gladly joined him at the window. Both of them were laughing at the fun they were having. The kids were almost done when the barn door opened again, this time much wider than for just K. One of the horses was poking it's nose out the door. Even at this distance, and through the glass Charles could almost hear it snorting at the fresh snow, it's breath hanging in the air as it snorted. He wondered what exactly she was up to now.

The horse seemed reluctant to leave the warmth of the barn, and when it did, it leapt over the snow that was right in front of it. Only then did they see that K was on it's back, in a saddle for a change and gathering up a rope while she making large loops in it all along the long length. Charles was fixated on her now. He had no idea what she was up to.

She made her way over to the bottom of the sledding hill that some of the younger students were playing on. Many of the younger students that had been out for a while were slowing down, but hadn't gone in – they still wanted to slide, but they just didn't have the energy to climb the hill.

K walked the horse up to one of the smallest kids on the hill, who had given up nearly an hour ago.

Charles watched as the little brunette smiled kindly at the little girl before she tossed the girl the end of the rope and started to walk away. She turned occasionally in the saddle and talked over her shoulder to the girl as she climbed on her saucer sled. When the slack was out, the girl leaned back at K's instruction, and K trotted the horse up the hill, giving the child a free ride to the top. Charles laughed out loud at her old fashioned solution. Now it all made sense.

She tied the rope to the saddle horn and let it rest across her hip as she pulled 4 students up at a time. They were enjoying the ride up more than the slide down.

Jean and Charles were enjoying watching them. Some would lose their grip and fall off the sled, both sled and rider sliding down the hill as the horse powered ski lift went on without them. She kept it up for a while until the horse started to wear, then she gathered up the rope as the kids all voiced their disappointment as she rode away to cool the horse down before blanketing it well and putting it in the stall with some extra hay.

Charles had always thought that horses were mostly a fair weather activity. But on a whim, K had shown them that there was something that they could do in winter aside from the positive psychological effect they had on those that spent time in the barn.

He decided to ask if she'd like to start giving lessons. Nearly everyone at the institute had watched her ride at one point or another.

There was even an unofficial club of students that would watch from the window as she would work the animals and she'd started going on trail rides with Logan from time to time, usually the two of them raced back after dark, both of them laughing. So Charles was surprised when he asked her that evening at dinner when she declined.

"But K, you're really good and the kids have been asking when you'll teach them," Jean said suddenly, clearly unhappy with her answer.

"I'm not _that_ great of a rider, Jean. I can keep on, but that's not enough to teach," she tried to explain herself, though everyone in attendance thought that was a weak excuse.

"Bullshit," Logan said as he watched his fiancee. "You're a hell of a rider. You can help them – they don't want to go to the Olympics, they just want to learn enough to have some fun." K stared at him and he held her gaze sure he could talk her into it. "Besides," he continued, "they may need it some day."

She thought it over, her hands on her thighs as she composed herself. The two of them stared at each other while she weighed it out.

"I don't know how to make it into a course. Basic safety would take just a few lessons, and beginning riding only takes one – the rest is their practice. And what style?" She turned to Jean. "You have a hunter jumper course and one saddle for that job. The rest are western and english, and only one of them actually fits the horses right. The tree is too narrow. I can't help beginners with no tack." Charles smiled. It wasn't that she wouldn't do it – they didn't have what was needed.

"Easily remedied, my dear. What can you do for them with the equipment you have?" Charles asked. She thought about it a moment before answering.

"Maybe … four lessons worth. Basic safety, handling, grooming and ground work. Nothing mounted, and class sizes will have to stay at around six," she said frankly as Logan took her hand.

"Why six?" Scott asked "We have twelve horses." Apparently it was a question many in the house had.

"Yeah, there are twelve, but only half of them are trained for beginners. The others? Well, let see. You've got a high level dressage horse, an off the track race horse, two untrained horses and two that are old enough and cranky enough to be retired – one of which is lame." She rattled off.

"Personally – and you sure don't need to take my advice – I'd get rid of the race horse and the two unbroke horses. The oldest ones could possibly be used for the ground lessons, but that's it." Charles smiled wider. She knew exactly what she was doing.

"What about the dressage horse? Which one is that?" Jean asked. She couldn't recall having a dressage horse out there.

"The big bay mare. She's _wonderful,_" K said, her voice softening as she mentioned the mare. Jean was dumbfounded.

"That mare is awful! She runs sideways when you try to get her to turn," Jean replied as she shook her head. K's mouth quirked up at the corners.

"I can show you later, Jean. She's easily the best horse in the barn and yes, if you aren't a dressage rider she can run sideways if you ask for a turn. The cue is a little more refined," K told her. Jean nodded and with that, half the staff wanted to see a demonstration. In the arena after dinner, K double checked her tack on the big bay mare as the staff got comfortable in the bleachers. Logan gave her a kiss for luck he said.

"Don't need luck tonight," she sighed. "We're going to have a little fun and just straight up show off a little." She sighed as she looked at him sheepishly. "Guess you'll see how good I am now, eh?" He smiled and kissed her again before he gave her a leg up. The big warmblood danced a bit under her as K got settled. With a word, the horse calmed down and she patted her on the neck before they rode out in the lit arena.

She took position at the center of the arena and made the horse halt, going about it like a freestyle dressage program, only she shouted out what they were doing just before they did it, telling them where to look to see it, and doing the more upper level movements as close to her audience as she could.

Logan watched her with a smile when she transitioned into the most impressive looking movements. Jean's mouth open as she watched K work th mare, who was snorting and drooling – her head tucked up on a loose rein as the pair began to do a near perfect piaffe. K smiled as she told them to watch the mare's feet.

"This is my favorite part," she said as the horse started on the tempis, then the half passes. After a few more passes, K halted for a moment to tell them that was all the mare did then she let the horse go and extend out in a good working trot. Jean asked if she could do a pirouette. It was clear she'd enjoyed the show she was getting from the little feral on the massive horse. K tipped her head to the side as she looked at the animal in her hands.

"I don't know, let's see," K replied with a grin before she set the mare up to try. The first attempt was very sloppy and only Jean and Charles knew what it should look like. They weren't surprised that the horse failed to perform – it was a very high level move that was difficult to do, but they were both shocked when K continued.

"Hold on," K said with a determined look on her face as she let the horse out again. After a lap, she returned to a central position in the arena. With a little coaching, K got the mare to do it, clicking and talking to her all through. It wasn't perfect, but even those that didn't know could see what they were working towards. Jean and Charles shared a stunned look as she trotted up to Logan and stopped on the rail.

"Hand me those two whips, would ya – the ones with the red ribbons," she requested looking serious.

"Two?" he asked as he handed them to her. She just nodded and flashed him a grin before she took te mare back around.

This time, with the whips as aides, the horse did it much neater, though still not well enough to show. She tried two more times before the horse started to get worse, then she just asked for a couple of half passes from her before hanging it up. When she got back to the group, who had continued to watch her in awe, they were all smiling.

"She'll do better in a double bridle," She said as an assessment while she patted the mare who dropped her head with a snort.

"You're a trainer," Logan said as he crossed his arms. She shrugged.

"Once upon a time," she said elusively.

"And you said you weren't a great rider," Scott said, as he shook his head. "We'll put up a sign up sheet and see how many kids you get for your class. Don't be surprised if they keep you busy." K shakily agreed.

"I'll do what I can, but teaching horses is easier than people," she informed him as Logan nodded in agreement.

"The horses listen better," he finished for her.

* * *

The sheet was full by noon the next day. Nearly every student had signed up. Scott spent the next afternoon figuring out how to get all the kids in for a riding class. It would end up being a once a week class that she'd have to run five days a week and that was after Charles gave her free rein to adjust the horses in the barn so it would be full of suitable mounts for the beginners.

She retained the dressage mare for her own to ride and found four replacements for the three they couldn't use as a starting point. She had her work cut out for her as she started riding each and every horse for an hour every day leading up to the lessons to make sure they were safe rides.


	21. Looking Ahead from Behind

_KJAX - thanks for reviewing! Sounds like fun, right?_

* * *

K was painfully aware that these kids were much more breakable than her, and she treated them like they were made of glass. She threw in plenty of stories of how she'd been hurt, trying to instill a respect for the animal into them.

Because of this, every class had been very careful and the only injuries anyone had suffered were stepped on feet and a few bites. She had come in after a class one day, right behind the kids, when Kitty stopped her.

"We need to talk," Kitty told her before she pulled her into a classroom that held nearly all of the women of the mansion. "We want to help with the wedding," Kitty said as she smiled at her. K looked at them all blankly.

"Who's getting married?" she asked, searching their faces for an answer. She was met by a sea of disbelief.

"_You,_" Jean replied with an irritated tone.

"Oh," K said, taken back by what she interpreted as their show of force. "Well, I haven't really thought about it much yet," she said as she turned to leave only to find her way blocked.

"What are you talking about? Don't you have a date yet?" Jean asked. They were all looking at her like she was insane.

"No … I figured we'd probably just go – do it one of these days," she said with a shrug. Clearly, she hadn't gotten the memo on what this marriage … this _wedding _meant to the residents of Xaviers. She simply didn't understand why all the women were so worked up.

"So, you really think you're just going to go and elope?" Betsy asked. Her irritation was easy to see and K actually considered her for a moment. Clearly, they were trying to tell her something.

"Well, yeah. Do you …. you don't think that he wants something else do you?" K asked with a horrified expression on her face as she looked toward Kitty and Storm. Obviously the woman was totally clueless. Ororo was amused as Kitty just turned around and made her way to find Logan. He'd straighten this out.

* * *

"You have to pick a date, Logan!" Kitty shouted into the garage after she'd come straight through the door.

"For what? You gonna give me choices?" he asked her as he buffed out the new paint on the Harley.

"_No_. That's the problem. You and K have been engaged for like, three months now and neither of you have any idea when the hell you're going to do this. We are going crazy! You can't go get engaged then just let it hang there and not get married! You have every woman in the mansion dying to get working on this for you," She pleaded with him. "You don't have to do anything, really. Just pick a date – we'll take care of it!" Kitty said. He turned around to watch her as she ranted, a little surprised that she'd brought it to him. Didn't he have a woman to handle all this crap now? It hit him what the trouble was as Kitty's pleading reached a fever pitch.

"Every woman wants to rush this but K, right?" he asked, eyebrow cocked up. "Go tell her to pick, I'll go along with whatever the hell she wants to do," he said with a grumble as he turned back to polishing the bike.

"Why do you think I'm out here?! She has no clue!" Kitty shouted with her arms crossed – her irritation had boiled completely over. Logan sighed and wiped his hands off on a rag before he stood up and walked inside with Kitty following him close behind like a spoiled child that had just pulled Dad into the argument. K was in the middle of taking a drink when Logan told her to pick a date for the wedding. She nearly did a spit take.

"Why?" she asked him and his eyes narrowed in irritation.

"You wanna marry me or not?" he asked as his dander rose. She'd said yes … if she was havin' second thoughts this was a shit way for him to find out.

"Yeah, I do – but do we need a _wedding_? I mean - come on. Can't we just elope and call it a day? We can go this weekend if you're in a rush," K snarked at him, but to her surprise he looked as if he was considering it for a moment.

"Tempting, but no. I wanna do it right," he told her. She sighed as they looked at each other.

"I don't want anything big," she warned. "That's just not me." He nodded his head in agreement. She stared off to the side a moment as she looked out the window.

"Those girls get to prepping and planning too deeply and it's going to scare me off," she admitted. He nodded at Kitty to leave the two of them to talk. This sounded a little more complex to him than just being upset about the girls demanding a date from her. If this was going to blow up in his face, he didn't want any witnesses.

"It shouldn't scare ya, darlin'. It's supposed to be somethin' to look forward to," he told her as he stepped up to face her across the kitchen island. She looked uncomfortable. "Eloping this weekend would work for me though if it's just nerves," he told her, smirking as he knew he was testing her. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Damn Canadian," she mumbled. "Fine." Without another word concerning the matter, she turned and started to walk away. He watched her go – she'd just left him standing there. He darted around the counter and started to follow after her as she headed upstairs. When she got to their room, she opened the door to the balcony and climbed up on the balcony railing. Logan followed her out cautiously. He was uneasy about her reaction to the lighthearted wedding talk the women had kicked this off with. Especially when he had to consider how Mariko left him at the altar. Although time had passed, he really wasn't up for a repeat performance with a woman he was already this deeply involved with.

"Hey, it didn't matter before when it was just the girls, but now I wanna know. Are we doin' this or not?" Logan asked gently as he began to worry in earnest that she didn't want to do it at all. She let out a sigh as she looked down at the snow covered lawn.

"Where's your favorite place in the world, Logan?" she asked as she stared off toward the treeline. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her. Her expression was serious as she watched his reaction to her. She was acutely aware of how it had to sound to him. But then he realized she was asking an honest question.

"Probably Alberta, up by the mountains. Why?" he asked in return as he made his way over to her.

"And aside from having your adopted family around, do you expect anything out of an actual wedding?" she asked him, again, ignoring his question completely. He frowned a bit as he watched her. She smelled like she was scared. But of what? Him?

"Just you. Makin' it official means somethin' to me," he replied though he was still curious as to why she was taking this line of questioning. It had him feeling very uneasy. She was quiet as he leaned on the railing facing her. He could see she was skittish. She let out a deep breath and looked at him seriously.

"It would mean something to me too. Which brings me to something that's kind of important," she sighed as she staring at the ground below. "We can't get married. There's no way to make it legal. I don't have any proof of who I am." He put his hand on her shoulder and tried to ease her mind. That was a simple enough hurdle.

"The legal part isn't what's important to me, but if it makes you feel any better, unless we fake some papers – which we can do - we never could make it legal."

"I'll bet my excuse is more of a deal breaker than yours," K said with a skeptical tone.

"Doubt it. Logan isn't my real name. It's just what I've gone by most of my hundred and thirty some years. Which, is the real issue for legality for me. Record keepin' wasn't real great in Alberta at that time. Besides, even if I could show papers, no one would believe it. I'd like to think I look a lot younger than my years," he teased. She nodded but still looked nervous.

"Well, _James_ – nice to meet you. Still not sure my issue won't be a deal breaker. You guys seem to have issues when you find out a girl is older than you thought."

"Long as you're legal I'm not too fussed," he replied gruffly. She cracked a smile.

"Great … you like 'em young. Shit. Ok. Want me to come clean too?" he smiled at her, realizing she really was a kindred spirit as he'd originally thought. "No shock that K was what they called me at Weapons Plus. I do know my name … but I can't stand people calling me by it. Kimimela Skoghem," she said as she mock stuck her hand out to shake. He smiled and took it, only to kiss the back of her hand as she continued. "I'm freshly 97 and I hope my advanced age isn't a total turn off because I cannot tell you how happy I am that I'm not the one robbing the cradle for once." He outright laughed at her as a smile finally crept onto her face.

"So, that makes you what - some kinda scandinavian?" he asked.

"The best kind – Svenska," she admitted.

"And I'm older then – still," he said a smile creeping on his face. She nodded.

"Yes, by a shocking margin, and it's entirely bizzare for me," she replied candidly before he pulled her into his arms, and kissed her. "So am I too old for you now?"

He laughed and picked her up from the railing to carry her inside. "Hardly. Unless I'm too old for you." She sighed and shook her head as she resigned herself to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I won't pick a date. Just a time frame," she told him.

"I'm old but I wanna get this show on the road. Within the next year, if it's not too much trouble, ya spring chicken," he directed as he set her down on their bed.

"If we miss it this year, we do it next time around. Deal?" He nodded, and kissed her forehead.

"When and where, darlin'?" he asked as she finally started to relax into him.

"Your choice. Either late June in your mountains – you pick the spot," he nodded considering her first selection. "Or full color, anywhere in my peninsula or your whole damn maple syrup soaked country," she finished, earning another laugh from him. He stretched out on the bed and gestured for her to join him.

"So it boils down to fall colors or wildflowers?" he asked as she took her place at his side. He could see how hard it was for her to narrow it down even that far. She nodded and looked up at him in an attempt to remain calm though she still smelled nervous. "I gotta pick?" he asked. She nodded again.

"I'm not the only one getting married, right? Make a choice."

"Then June it is," he told her with an optimistic smirk. She smiled nervously and he kissed her chastely. "You're sure you're OK with that?" he asked as she figeted a little.

"Yeah, of course. Why?"

"You're _sure_ you want to do this." he clarified.

"_Yes_ \- wait. Why? You gettin' cold feet already? Is it because I'm too old?" she smiled at him.

"No _I'm_ not, getting cold feet, ya sassy little thing," he replied which got a good laugh out of her. "And you're not too old. So don't start that crap."

"Alright. We're getting married. In June. But hey – those women down there do not get to run this. I will not be a barbie doll," she said with a touch of irritation to her voice. He smiled mischievously and kissed her. He had a surprise in store for her now.

* * *

The women of the mansion were justifiably upset with the couple. No date. No specific location, and no permission for them to do anything but keep their social calendar clear. This whole plan had blown up in their face. They had been told to not let it become a giant affair, lest it scare off the bride and now all they could do was wait and see what, if anything, they'd be allowed to do to help.

* * *

Winter was slipping by fast. The team had very little action and everyone was getting a little pent up. Logan had been out more often assisting the Avengers with Hank, but everyone else was just waiting for some dire need that required them. It was one of the days that Logan and Hank were gone that Scott rounded up the team.

"Alright. This should be a simple extraction. We have a couple of kids that have been on the run for a few weeks now. They've been hard to nail down with Cerebro, but we're going to try it a little differently. The professor is going to wait until we're nearby and then let us know where to go once we get close. Gambit, you and Rogue will go one way and K and I will take the other direction." He turned to K to address her personally. "Normally, I'd have Logan on this, but we need a tracker and he's not around. You up to it?" She agreed easily.

"Hound dog. Got it. No problem," she replied. Gambit and Rogue shared a little smile. A Wolverine without the standard snarls at Scott. Interesting.

They suited up quickly and the four of them took off. Hours later they landed in the desert outside Amarillo, Texas. Charles had gotten them as close as he could pin down and they split into their assigned pairs, Rogue and Gambit handled the aerial search and K led point on a scent trail that wove into the desert with Cyclops on her six. Their communicators crackled in their ears as Gambit reported that they had found one of the kids they were searching for, but she was dead.

They'd found her bound, bloody and badly torn up. Cyclops' was visibly disappointed on hearing the news. He told them to mark her location. He had to decide if they were going to bury her or bring her back for an autopsy first. There wasn't any reason to go to the police as they knew the area was one that was known, historically, as being very anti-mutant.

The wind died down, and Scott squatted down in the scrub bush before he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Where the hell was the other one? This kid had a traveling companion. Another girl. Was she lost out here? The victim of some psycho killer or was she some kind of psycho killer herself? He replaced his glasses and looked towards K, who had turned her back to him to give him some semblance of privacy as she tried to keep an eye open in the overly colorful sunset.

The sun had sunk low enough to make strange shadows in the scrub, and it made her very uneasy.

"Come on, let's go to Rogue and Gambit. Maybe you can pick up a scent trail from there," he suggested finally. She nodded and turned to lead the way to them.

When they got to the site, it was a bloodbath. She couldn't really smell more than the scent of putrifying blood on the desert sands. The body hadn't started to smell yet, but it would happen fast out there, even this time of year. She started to circle out as she looked for a trail.

When she finally found it though, the hair stood up on the back of her neck. There was indeed a young woman out there somewhere, and she wasn't there willingly. She hesitated a moment before hitting her com to notify Scott of her findings. He'd have to make his decision on the dead girl later. She kept her voice as low as she could while she told him what was ahead of her somewhere in the desert.

"Scott, I got your trail. It's Sabretooth. He's got the other girl out here somewhere," she told him as she scanned the horizon line and looked deeply into the shadows of the scrub as she waited. She knew he didn't want her to go ahead alone, and she didn't want to leave the missing girl with Creed to die, so instead of backtracking, she held her position and waited. When Scott touched her shoulder, she wasn't surprised to see Remy and Rogue right behind him. All three of them looked a bit nervous as they started out – she wasn't exactly surprised. She assumed that had it been Logan there instead of her, he would have simply gone after him without so much as a radio warning to his team. Scott gave her a little nod and she led the way slowly. His trail was pretty easy for her to follow. The scent trail was clear but the sounds of a woman crying became louder as they closed in on where he was tucked away. They were going down into a dry creek bed, and she kept her eyes open for rattlesnakes as she navigated them down the slope. She slowly released her claws as she went forward, her body tensed and ready to fight.

When she spotted them ahead in the flickering fire light, he had the girl pinned down. She was bleeding badly and it was plain to see – and hear that he was in the middle of raping her.

In an instant, a red haze seemed to tint her vision. Her temper flared like she couldn't remember it doing in years and before Scott could stop her or take a shot, she ran right at him as Creed finished what he was doing to the girl.

He just barely turned his head as she sunk her claws into his neck and sliced down his back. Her claws cut into both lungs. He slumped forward, and swung out at her as he lunged in her direction. In a lucky shot for him, he bashed her in the face, and knocked her to the ground.

Scott blasted him as he tried to rise up again. Gambit and Rogue wasted no time as they quickly jumped in too. Cards flew as Creed turned his attention to his attackers. He tore a rock from the ground next to him and threw it. Scott dodged, but he still managed to clip him with the flying boulder fragment and knocked him out cold.

Gambit was being careful to keep out of his range, and did a fine job of avoiding those nasty claws of his while peppering him with charged cards and rocks. Rogue checked on Scott as Creed's eyes landed back on K. She'd just gotten back on her feet and was ready to try again. His smile made her sick. She wanted nothing more than to jam her claws through his head. He purred as he took her in and sunk into a crouch. Her heart hammered in her ears, but for the first time, it wasn't from fear of him.

"Looks like the little kitten has finally figured out how to use her claws," he said as he licked his lips and the pair circled each other. "You don't have to be jealous of _her_, frail. I got plenty more for you too. Just gotta get you outta that ridiculous costume."

He charged her and she broke his concentration when she ran straight for him. He swiped at her and she stabbed his shoulder. She cut through all the bones and nearly severed his arm. He howled in pain as he wheeled around in time to see her dodging in at him. She rammed her claws through one of his kidneys and twisted her arm as she ran him through.

When he grabbed her wrist at his side, she cut his Achilles tendon with her free arm – which dropped him on his ass. He took her with him though when he fell. His other arm hadn't healed yet and he couldn't maneuver her to grab her free hand. Shocked at his position, he found he had to keep her at an arms length, or she was going to tear him to pieces. Unfortunately, Gambit couldn't get a clear shot with K in the line of fire. She was on her own.

Creed couldn't pull his arm where it needed to be to heal, so he started to swing her like a rag doll, instead. He bashed her into the ground by her ankle and knocked the wind out of her. He tore at her uniform, and slashed her across her face and all the way down to her knees. He kneeled on her arms and sat on her chest to hold her still and keep her from injuring him further. As she tried to blink the blood from her eyes, he held his injured arm in place to allow it to stitch itself back together. As soon as the preliminary connections renewed themselves, he backhanded her and Gambit started his own assault on him. Rogue swooped in and pulled Creed off K by his hair and earning herself a deep set of cuts on her arms for her troubles.

He turned right into K's foot as she made to kick him in the head – instead the impact hit him in the face and smashed half the bones in it against her adamantium infused foot. He'd managed to grab her foot though and again slammed her like a rag doll before he dropped her face down in the dirt under him. He sunk his claws into her sides, and dragged them down over her hips as she screamed in agony. Before she could begin to stop him, he was again tearing at her uniform.

Scott had finally opened his eyes again. K's scream had roused him in the worst possible way. Gambit was going after Creed with his bo staff, but not making much purchase after Creed threw sand in his eyes. Rogue couldn't use one of her arms properly since he'd managed to cut a major tendon when he slashed her. Scott was overwhelmed for a second at the disaster in front of him.

In a flash, Gambit was bleeding on the ground and Creed had turned his attention back to K. He grabbed her foot and began to pull her closer. At first she clawed at the ground with her fingers in a vain attempt to remove herself from his grasp until he yanked her hard and flipped her onto her back.

"Ya miss me girl? That was a nasty little trick you pulled. I owe you BIG for that one, but first I think I'd like to take another round outta ya," he growled out as he pulled her towards him, her uniform in tatters. As she swung up at him, he caught her wrists and held her hands down over her head in one of his then slipped his free hand into the front of her pants as K twisted and bucked in an attempt to get out of his grip when Scott blasted him with all he had. He sliced her leg as he flew off of her but the blast Scott had hit him with had made sure that Sabretooth was nowhere to be seen.

Scott rushed to K's aide as she shook on the desert sands. She was bloody and nearly naked as Scott helped her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her as she trembled. Once she was upright though, she was shakily assuring him she was fine. As soon as he let her go, she stumbled to Gambit's side to assess his injuries while Scott checked on Rogue.

She'd been cut deeply but there was little they could do in the field but stop the bleeding. Scott went with her to the jet and wrapped her wounds quickly before he returned to Gambit. The cuts in his abdomen were deep the ragin' cajun couldn't help himself in the face of a gorgeous half naked woman rendering aid to him. He began to flirt shamelessly with her as she shook her head at him and held him down. She made no comment on his weak attempt to lighten the atmosphere, even as she gave him some morphine and attended to his wounds. With a little effort, Scott helped him to his feet and he guided the injured man into the jet while K carefully walked towards the girl that was back in the dry creek bed, a fair little walk from where the battle had ended. She was curled up and crying, bleeding from several places as K knelt beside her.

"You're going to be alright. We're going to get you out of here and away from him. Is anything broken?" she asked in a firm, but gentle tone. But the young woman couldn't speak – too far into shock to properly reply anything at all.

K looked around them and decided not to wait for Scott – he likely had his hands full with Gambit and Rogue and keeping watch for Creed's inevitable return. She carefully got the girl semi upright before she scooped her up and carried her back to the jet. The girl latched onto her cried in great sobs as she brought her to the blackbird. Fifty yards from the jet, Scott caught up to them and took over getting the girl inside as K closed the hatch for him and the turbines fired up. Gambit generously offered K his trench coat as she secured him for the flight.

"Here, cherie. Best to cover up before we land. Ol' Logan gon' lose it if he know Remy and Scott starin' at his woman half naked," Remy said with a dopey smile. "Though it sure be a nice view." She smirked and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead after she slid the coat on and pulled the front of it shut.

"Thanks, Remy," she told him hoarsely. "Anything illegal in this thing I should know about?" He chuckled in his low laugh and the drugs reared their head – his inhibitions gone.

"Jus' dat body, petie. Dat's got to be illegal." She smiled earnestly and abandoned him to check on a badly hurting Rogue. Even with the morphine, the southern belle was moaning in pain.

"How's your control, Rogue?" K asked as Rogue bled through her bandages again, feeling woozy.

"Alright for now. Why?" she asked as K pulled off Rogue's glove and touched her hand. A few moments later, Rouge was healing fast and K was retching in the chair across from her, head between her knees.

They were lucky on the return flight and caught a fast tailwind. They made it back in just over an hour and a half. They unloaded the plane of the injured with haste. Both Remy and the girl would need surgery and Celia and Hank were already prepped for them when they landed.

As they were attended to K walked down to the elevator. Scott was waiting for her on the main floor and as soon as she stepped out and spotted him, he motioned for her to follow him.

They sat down in Scott's office as he handed her a laptop to record her field report. Instead of questioning her further, he just read over her shoulder as she typed it out quickly. His face looked more grave as the report continued. When she finished, Scott simply read it over quickly. He nodded and thanked her before she stood up to leave. When she reached the door, he told her to bring her uniform to him after she got it off. It was to be sent to SHIELD as part of a mountain of evidence stacked against Sabretooth.

When she got into the bedroom, she unintentionally roused him. He'd been passed out cold when she entered. Logan sat up in bed and watched her as she leaned against the closed door. On watching her body language, he quickly got up and stopped her before she could get into the bathroom.

He made her stand in the middle of the room as he took Gambit's coat off of her carefully. His face fell when he saw the damage to her uniform. Everything from the neckline to her knees was shredded and covered in dry blood with sand stuck to her here and there.

Her breasts were almost entirely bare and the area meant to cover her pelvis was dangling, leaving little if anything to the imagination. Slashes ran down her sides and legs and clearly showed Logan exactly how Creed had tried to strip her shred by shred. His anger started to rise and he helped her to slip out of the tattered remains before he set them aside as Scott had directed. He realized quickly how hard she must have fought back, and how much damage had gone both ways. She had as much of his blood on her as she did her own. He tipped her chin up and kissed her before he led her into the shower.

* * *

The girl they'd brought in wasn't doing well at all. She had sustained many injuries, some that weren't apparent until she'd been in surgery. A full rape kit was included with her clothes and K's uniform that Hank took with him to SHIELD when he filed the incident report.

When she gained consciousness, the girl had told them that her name was Daisy and she came from Oklahoma. She and her friend had run away after they'd dropped out of school.

Their starry eyed plan was to move to Las Vegas for an adventure. They hadn't gotten too far when they ran into Creed in a bar. Their fake ID's didn't work for them and Creed offered to buy, but as soon as they were in his car, predictably, he threatened them. He made Daisy handcuff her friend then gagged her before he did the same to her. He took them to the desert and dropped Daisy off in the dry creek bed then dragged the other girl out to where they found her body.

Daisy said she'd heard the whole ordeal as Creed tortured her friend. When he then came to Daisy, he was laughing and her friends' blood was dripping from his hands.

He beat her savagely and raped her repeatedly for days until K came in swinging. Daisy didn't see the fight more than the first bit, but was sure she was going to die when she heard K screaming toward the end of it. After all, if he could take down the fierce woman that had made him scream – she had no hope of survival.

The sight of the little brunette striding up to her half naked and covered in blood shocked her, but she was also terribly thankful that they'd stopped him when they did.

When she'd come in, Daisy had needed stitches internally from Creed's assault. She had fractures to her forehead and nose and since she entered the med bay, she'd lost vision in one of her eyes from a small stroke – a direct result of the beating he had given her. Hank had been sure to give her some medication to prevent her getting pregnant, but Daisy couldn't tell him how long she'd been in the desert with Creed abusing her with any real confidence. Only time would tell if she'd be safe.

She stayed in the med bay for her entire time at Xaviers where Henry could fuss over her to his heart's content. He always did hold a soft spot for the women he'd stitched up that had crossed Creed. They were usually quite capable, but as K could attest … that was one massive bastard with an attitude.

Before the girl left to go home a few weeks later, she asked to talk to K.

When Daisy saw her enter with Logan at her side, she started to cry. K didn't know what to do as Logan pushed her forward. When she was close enough, Daisy threw her arms around K's neck and crid into her shoulder as she thanked her for saving her and helping her get away from Creed.

K was reluctant to touch the girl until her scent hit K's nose. Then she just got pissed off all over again. She hugged the her tightly until Daisy released her first and wiped her eyes. Logan was alarmed when he saw K's artificial smile. She patted the girl on the knee then pulled Hank into his office and roughly slammed the door behind her, to leave Logan alone with Daisy. From Logan's view it looked like K was reading Hank the riot act. The two of them came out of the office looking grim. K composed herself quickly for the young woman and smiled as friendly as she could to Daisy before she wished her luck and took Logan's hand on their way out.

"What was that about, darlin?" Logan asked. Her jaw tightened and just she kept walking until they were outside with the door closed behind them. He grabbed her arm as she paced and turned her to face him – she had gotten more irritated as she walked. "_What?_" he spat, unused to seeing her so angry and unresponsive to him.

"She's pregnant," K growled out low. Logan's face went slack for a moment. That poor girl had been through enough. And then she had to deal with this on top of it? "I'm goin' back to Texas. I'll find the sonofabitch and set him on fire, whether he's dead or not," K snarled. Logan took her by the shoulders and made her stop to look at him.

"Calm down. He won't be in Texas anymore. If he's alive, he'll show up again. We'll get him," he promised her. She breathed deeply as she tried to calm down. He stepped into her and nuzzled her neck. She tried to ignore it, but he'd learned already that his scent settled her, and before long she'd wrapped her arms around him. The tension eased in her shoulders when he pulled her closer and she buried her face in his neck.

"I want him dead. I want him dead, and I want to do it," she said as she laid her head on his shoulder. Her anger made her voice sound much harder than Logan had ever heard before.

"We'll get 'im," he promised low over and over as he stroked her back and kissed her neck in spite of the fact that his own anger was growing.

He'd decided already that he would read the report tomorrow. He'd see what happened, then he'd start hunting the bastard himself.


	22. High tech hunting

_cew - thanks for reviewing! Yeah, but I don't know that the Avengers could even really do him in right._

* * *

Logan sat with his head in his hands leaning on his elbows in the ready room. He stared down at the keyboard after he'd read through the reports from Daisy's extraction run. It was the first time that he could remember Scott being unable to give a full report due to him not being conscious for part of the mission.

All reports were complete, and if they were accurate, then he had to do something about Creed before he and K went head to head again. Her fury made her a more formidable opponent, it seemed, at least from what Gambit and Rogue reported. Scott had probably done the right thing at the end of the conflict when he blasted Creed, but it was clear from K's reaction to Daisy ending up pregnant from the fiasco that K wanted his head on a stick and on fire. He didn't move a muscle when Scott walked in holding an extra cup of coffee with his name on it. Logan let out a little sigh as Scott wordlessly set the mug down in front of Logan.

"What's this for, Scooter?" he asked without bothering to lift his head.

"Thought you could use it. Your fiancee is trying to talk Jean into looking for Creed. She wants to go after him. Today," Scott told him as Logan leaned back and stretched out tiredly in the chair before he leaned forward and picked up the coffee.

"She means to kill him, Scott. I don't begrudge her that, but she's gonna get _herself_ killed if she doesn't slow the hell down on this one," Logan said before he took a sip. Scott's mouth tightened at Logan's assessment.

"So. What are you going to do about it? I don't think more danger room time is going to help her prepare. She didn't fight the same out there," Scott told him. The little feral looked up at him with his brows drawn together. That just didn't make any sense to him. Not with all the training Logan had made sure she had. Scott took a breath and held it with his lips parted before he ventured forward. "Has she … ever gone into a session with her claws out at the start?" Scott asked. Logan thought about it a second, and tipped his head to the side.

"No, not that I can remember – why?" he asked.

"She did that night. She was on point and she led up down the bank. She slid them out real slowly as we walked. If it wasn't for the moonlight, I wouldn't have even known she'd done it. As far as I could tell, it was totally silent," Scott told him. Logan whistled low in response. _Sneaky woman._

"Don't get on her bad side, Summers," he rasped out before he tipped his mug back. "And thanks for the coffee." Scott smiled as he sat down to help Logan figure out what to do next.

* * *

K was getting frustrated. As far as she was concerned, Jean had flat refused to help her and it was completely unacceptable. She tried to explain that Creed, Logan, and even herself for that matter, were very hard to find or follow, even with Cerebro's assistance.

Something about their minds made it harder to touch, but K didn't understand it. Neither did Jean exactly, so rather than frustrate both of them, she simply quit trying to explain and just gave her a hug with a heartfelt apology before she left. K was just about to go upstairs and grab a bag to take off when Remy slowly leaned against the counter next her. She didn't acknowledge him right away – she was far too busy thinking about how to follow a weeks old trail as she drummed her fingers on the counter top.

"Anyone tell you dat you awful cute when you mad, Chere?" Gambit asked with a grin as he watched her reaction. She glared at him then walked across the kitchen to put some distance between them.

"Anyone tell you ya smell like you took a bath in that cologne?" she snarled back. He chuckled as he shifted his position.

"Mebbe your beau once or twice. Wha' you doin right now, petit? Why you wanna go lookin' fer dat kinda trouble with the chat mal?" he asked as he hopped up on the counter. He winced a little as his stitches pulled at the flesh under his dressings.

"Why would I want to wait for him to come to me? I'm not leaving this on his terms anymore," she said as she crossed her arms across her chest. He dipped his head, understanding finally what she meant.

With Logan, it had always been fight and then both he and Creed would retreat to their corners to lick their wounds, only really to cross swords again when next they crossed paths. It almost always meant Creed launching the offensive. She didn't want to let him be the only one really ready for a fight. She wanted him to feel like he was on the defensive for a change.

"You got a temper as bad as Logan. Mebbe worse. But dat makes some sense to dis ol' cajun," Remy assured her. "Jus' don' see what happened to make you so much more mad dis time round."

She didn't enlighten him seeing as she didn't want to divulge Daisy's condition. She just looked more angry as she narrowed her eyes and left the kitchen.

K knew she needed to calm herself down. So, she walked down to the barn.

Brushing out a horse always helped her calm down a little. She pulled out the big bay mare, and began brushing her down. When she was done, she led her out to the arena and asked the mare to bow before she climbed on bareback. She rode her for a bit with just a rope, then she decided to slip the halter off too as her anger began to slide onto the back burner in her mind. The horse did wonderfully. K smiled to herself at how well she got along with this mare. After they got warmed up, she opened the gate and they left the arena. She rode out along the lawn at an easy pace.

Some of her students had gathered, the girls in particular enjoyed watching her ride the horse with no saddle or bridle as she passed them by. She ran through some exercises and lateral movements as the smile came back to her face.

Logan had to do a double take as she passed by him grinning and galloping at full speed. The pair of them ran and her irritation seemed to slip away in the spring breeze until she finally slowed the horse on the approach to the arena again. Logan was sitting on the mounting block talking to Stark as they walked up – the mare was snorting and panting as she proudly nodded her head. Talk about two different worlds. Breathless, K slipped off the horse as Logan put the halter back on it.

"Wow," Stark said with an impressed smirk as he watched them deal with the animal. "Why isn't it in your file?" She paused and looked at him with a confused expression.

"What are you talking about now?" she asked.

"Your secondary mutation. It should be in your file." She was visibly lost as she and Logan looked at each other, brows scrunched up.

"What the hell are you- _what_ secondary mutation?" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"Well, it is pretty obvious, isn't it? Clearly you have the ability to command sweaty, hairy beasts when you wrap your legs around them." Her mouth dropped open as he positively stunned her and Stark grinned widely at his back handed little joke. But before she could gather herself or begin to say anything to him, Logan decked him, and knocked him out cold.

"Sonofabitch don't know when to shut his damn mouth," Logan grumbled as he turned to lead the horse back to the barn to put her away. K smiled hugely as she followed him. They leaving Stark in a heap on the ground for the time being. She leaned in the door frame of the barn, waiting. As Logan finished up, he slipped his hands around her waist and kissed her. He was still mad and she thought it was sexy as hell.

"If he's the one helping us, you probably shouldn't have hit him so hard," K suggested as their foreheads touched.

"I didn't hit him that hard and if he don't want to help, then to hell with him. I'm not puttin' up with that bullshit," he growled back. She slid her hands onto his neck and kissed him as she pushed herself against his body as he held her. Both of them were smirking at each other when the kiss ended.

"Just so you know, that was a total turn on. So, you know – file that away," she told him as he kissed her one last time. "But we have work to do, so lets go scrape him off the lawn before someone else has to do it for us." He nipped at her as they broke apart. The two of them looked like a unified front as they strode towards the still unconscious billionaire.

Logan nudged him with his boot to rouse him. Dazed and moaning Stark began to sit up. Neither offered him assistance as he pulled himself together.

"Right. Sorry 'bout that. Maybe that was a little over the line," Stark said as he wiping the blood from his mouth though he didn't quite meet either of their eyes. Logan just raised an eyebrow and jerked his head, indicating that they head up to the house.

"Next time I won't pull my punch, Stark," Logan warned him as they made their way to the war room. Tony was shaking his head as they walked. That was the hardest hit he'd ever taken when he wasn't in the suit.

* * *

"So, the plan is simple. I'm monitoring all of his bank accounts. Last activity was in Utah, yesterday. We found out he has a place in South Dakota, among others. I think that's where he's headed, and when I get the satellite pics to back it up, I'll make sure you guys know." Stark said as he turned from the projected screen floating in front of them to the ferals themselves. "Now, Logan, you know your _other_ team is behind you on this too. Well, probably not Banner, but the rest of us have got your back," he amended. "We don't want you lone-wolfing this thing."Logan nodded in agreement.

"It's not me you gotta worry about this time. It's her," Logan said as he pulled K a little tighter to him. Stark blinked hard as he stared at her for a few moments.

"Previous joke not withstanding, I _have_ read your files. I get wanting revenge for what he did to you, but isn't it smarter to just keep away from him knowing what he wants to do to you? Should he get a hold of you that is," Stark said to her seriously. Her mouth tightened.

"It's not just that. He's doing shit like this in his spare time. It's an entertainment factor for him. I can't let him treat all these anonymous women like chew toys." She said though she found it hard to put into words exactly what she thought. "And, like I said to Le Beau earlier – I'm tired of letting him dictate things. Both of us have looked over our shoulders for too many years, waiting for him to show up and start trouble. I'm tired of waiting." Tony considered her, unmoving as he thought it through.

"Right. Well, you've got a handful of the Avengers ready to go with you when we find him." He turned to Logan. "When the satellite confirms he's holding still, I'll be here as fast as I can. At least one more Avenger will be going. Not sure who it'll be, but don't leave without us this time." Logan nodded and Stark turned his attention to K.

"I really am sorry. For earlier. And not because Logan hit me. I was just trying to get a rise out of you," Stark said he even almost looked sorry. K just started back at him. A few moments passed in silence before Stark couldn't take the dead air.

"Yeah. Won't happen again. Don't hate me," he said as he slipped his sunglasses back on. He shook Logan's hand and let himself out.

* * *

Time was passing them all by. Every few days they'd get more information on where Creed was. Utah, Nevada, California – various spots as he headed up the coast. He was constantly moving. He backtracked from time to time, but overal seemed to just keep moving slowly along. They monitored the news at the same time, keeping their eyes open for missing persons, or vicious assaults. It was pretty quiet overall. And then it just went completely dead. Nothing hit their system for well over a week and it just got K wondering … Where the hell was he anyhow?

The lack of information streaming in caused K to start to get cagey. She knew trouble was brewing, but didn't know what, if anything, she could do about it.

"He'll turn up. Don't worry. He can't do anything without us knowing right now. He's just working off cash," Jean told her one day. She couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen though.

It was morning … still early spring time. It was a beautiful Saturday. The sun was shining and the dew on the grass had already started to dry in the morning sun. K had just come in from her morning chores and had sat down next to Jubilee and the girls, who were sleepily shoving cereal into their mouths. Chloe reached over and picked up K's hand as Chloe startled her into watching what the girl was up to.

"Your ring is really pretty. You need to clean it though," Chloe said as she eyed the diamonds in the setting. "What is that in the setting anyhow?" she asked as she leaned toward the little feral's hand.

"I helped pick it out," Jubilee interjected her pride was evident on her face. K gave her a fond little smile.

"You helped?" K asked and Jubilee smiled wider as she nodded her head. "Well you did really well. I love it. It's perfect," K told her.

"Well, I narrowed it down, he picked," Jubilee amended as she took K's hand from Chloe's grip and looked at it closer. "It's blood. You have dried blood in your setting," Jubilee pointed out as she scrunched up her nose. "Gross."

"Does that surprise you for some reason?" Zoe asked as she chuckled to herself. The other two girls shook their heads. They really didn't want to argue that point. K laughed at them as she pulled her hand back and rubbed her head. These girls were so – normal. The notion had her daydreaming about her own childhood, and what she was like when she was these girls' age. She couldn't remember everything, but one memory did spring came to mind.

She was probably fifteen. Life had been hard since her father had died. She was walking home from school with her sister. She was barefoot and her dress caught in the warm spring breeze. The two girls were walking past the old man that used to tell stories about his time out west during the gold rush in the black hills of South Dakota. His stories usually centered on the James brothers or losing money when he played poker once with Wild Bill.

The girls were almost in front of his place when a couple of older boys started harassing her. Her sister rushed ahead as the boys took K's books from her and took turns as they tried to lift her skirt up as they pushed her back and forth between them. At first she was upset. Afraid of what they might do. Then all at once, one of them caught her up with her arms crossed in front of her and kissed her as she struggled to get away from him. When he smirked at her after he'd finished, she got mad.

All at once, she had snapped at the boy and her whole body language changed. Before much time had passed she'd ended up simply pounding the living shit out of one of them and had knocked the other out. She gathered her books and simply continued on her path when not three steps from where the scuffle had ended, the old man called out to her.

He had told her that she had gunslinger's eyes. Of course, she'd looked at him in a manner that insinuated that she knew he was off his rocker before she hurried back home. She didn't know at the time what he had meant by that, but eventually, she figured it out.

It was the focus. The way she was usually ready and just waiting. It wasn't something she could exactly control. It just happened when she needed it. And sudden hyper awareness on top of high functioning senses was a highly dangerous combination for anyone who meant her harm.

With that old memory in mind, she wasn't shocked in the least when she saw the rustle of movement in the trees out of the corner of her eye. The flash of blonde hair in the deepening green was like waving a flag. She grimly smiled to herself. Jean was right. He did turn up. The bastard was right there.

* * *

Jubilee was watching K. No one had asked her to, but she seemed off that morning. She looked distant when she was talking with the girls and all of a sudden, her whole body language was different. She was upright, relaxed. Her movements were fluid and purposeful. She thought it was almost like watching Logan when he went into autopilot.

_Oh shit_. She nearly dropped her spoon as the lightbulb clicked. It _was_ like watching Logan. Or a horror movie.

She froze as K carefully set her coffee mug down and stepped towards the sliding door out of the kitchen. Her body flowed. She moved like a predator on the prowl. K was just past the patio when Jubilee saw Creed as he stepped out of the treeline. She was screaming mentally for Jean, who immediately alerted everyone in the team.

In the garage, Logan's heart jumped into his throat. What the hell was she tryin' to do? He ran as fast as he could but they'd already started fighting by the time Logan got there. The girls were staring at the fight in total horror and awe as the blood flew.

The first thing Logan heard coming out of the door was Creed's pained scream as K slashed his groin wide open. She dodged his claws with ease and simply kept just out of his reach – taunting him.

Logan let his claws fly as he ran up toward the pair, ready to break into the fray himself and draw fire from Creed for her. But she yelled at him to stay clear as the fight waged on. K moved fast enough that Creed didn't have the time or the breath to throw insults at her.

He was bleeding heavily from damn near everywhere. She kept slashing him fast enough that his healing didn't matter any more. As one wound closed up, she'd open a new one. K had a few hits on her clothes, but not more than what some of the punk kids would pay to wear.

Then Logan saw the expression on her face. She was so far beyond angry that he wasn't sure there was a proper word for it and as she moved, her eyes never once came off of Creed's face.

Logan stayed back and decided to only jump in if and when K needed help. He worried that he might hinder her rather than help, and unless it became a necessity, he would keep back – though he kicked himself in the moment for not having run any scenarios where they joined forces to attack Creed. He just had assumed this whole time that it would be him – not her that would end up doing what she was.

Jubilee appeared over his shoulder moments later and he quickly turned to bark at the girls to get back and away from the fight. No reason to add more collateral damage to the mix.

Creed turned towards Logan with a sneer. He'd figured he'd nail the runt and get Logan's little attack bitch off him. She wouldn't hurt her little Logan, right? And he'd never let a woman fight his battles, would he – _shit!_

He got the reminder a little late for his liking and he still couldn't touch her. Turning his back on her wasn't smart. Even for that little moment. She sliced his hamstrings and Achilles which left his legs worthless until they healed. He meant to roll over, but she jumped onto his back and to his surprise, she wrapped her legs around his neck and started to squeeze hard.

As blackness started to occupy his vision he quickly realized that she had no intentions of just making him black out. This was her payback for strangling Logan. Out of desperation and spite, he sunk his claws in her thighs as deeply as he could and wriggled his fingers as he tried to wrench her legs apart. He'd tear them off her body if she didn't let him loose. His pain play very nearly worked too.

When he applied his substantial strength to pulling while his claws were buried so deeply she couldn't fight him – and his grip was good enough she knew she couldn't get away. He chuckled at her scream as soon as he'd wrenched her legs enough to breathe but as she started to fall backward, she suddenly had a moment of inspiration.

With a flick of her wrist, she reached behind her and sliced through his spine. He didn't have time to feel any pain from it as he lost all control of his body from the neck down.

Logan pulled her off him as Scott ran some cuffs over, and Hank scanned his body for any electronics. They searched him, and restrained him tightly before they left him where K had dropped him on the lawn.

Scott called Stark and explained how it had already gone down. Stark made sure that this time the Avengers responded quickly and before the call was ended, a transport was already on the way.

K was breathing hard, she was in pain and she still wanted to finish the job. Logan didn't exactly restrain her, but he kept a hold on her as she came back to herself. With a groan, K nearly collapsed against him. She clutched at her bloodied legs as the adreneline wore off and all the strength in her limbs waned. She wasn't healing right. She was losing too much blood.

"Something's wrong," she said quietly as she tipped her head toward Logan, her voice shook as she spoke. He laid her on the ground and tore her soaked jeans open as he looked for the problem. The punctures weren't closing. He yelled for Hank to return before he got all the way back up to the house. He turned at Logan's call and from halfway across the lawn, he could see she was in dire straits. He came running when he realized there was just too damn much blood.

* * *

K was focused on Hank as he bounded across the lawn towards her. She didn't think much of it until she realized he was getting fuzzier as he got closer. She blinked hard and squinted as she tried to bring the furry doctor into focus … but it just wasn't working. She felt a hand on her cheek, and looked up to see Logan's concerned face, but couldn't hear what he was trying to say to her. His lips were moving … but she just couldn't understand why she couldn't hear him right.

She tried to raise her hand to touch him and reassure him that she was just tired, but for the life of her she just couldn't pick her damn arm up. She concentrated very hard on speaking, but she just couldn't make the words come out. Hell, she couldn't even move her mouth right. Her breathing began to slow and she couldn't muster the energy to force the air into her lungs. She closed her eyes, ready to just go to sleep while she felt like she was floating.

But she kept hearing a familiar voice calling her name from very far away. She couldn't open her eyes to see who it was. She couldn't even think about who it could be. She wanted to sleep, but they kept calling her. What the hell were they even saying? She tried to focus on the voice. She couldn't go to sleep not knowing what whoever it was wanted. It would give her nightmares, she just knew it. But she wanted to so, so badly.

* * *

Creed laughed as he lay next to the couple, truly enjoying the show as the little woman started to fade away. Logan was unable to tear himself from K as he called to her to hold on while Hank worked like a mad man to stop the bleeding.

"She's slipping. What the hell happened?" Jean asked in whispered tones as they worked on trying to get K stable enough to move to the med lab. They simply couldn't find the reason for her sudden and devastating inability to heal and she was losing blood faster than they could give it to her.

"I was hopin' to hit you, runt. Gonna almost be sorry to see this one go. She's a damn good little piece," Creed gloated with a fond smirk on his face.

"What did you do, Victor?" Jean demanded. Her hands were still one of K's wounds as she held pressure to stem the flow of blood.

"Why the hell would I tell you? You can find out on autopsy, ya pesty bitch," Creed responded. Logan snapped. He didn't care what his team mates thought. K was right. Jail of any kind was too good for the lowlife.

Without even moving K's head from his lap he popped his claws and whipped his arm over to remove Creed's head from his shoulders once again. With the noise level down, Henry worked much better and in a matter of minutes he gave them the signal to move her – fast. Logan went with Jean and Hank as the three of them rushed her to the med bay. He never left K's side as they worked on her treatment. Scott booted Creed's head a few feet away from his body. He simply didn't trust leaving it that close. He was going to keep control of the scene and wait for Stark to show. Jubilee slowly approached Scott.

"Is he – dead?" she asked warily as she eyed the massive body in front of them.

"For now," Scott replied as he rested his hand on her shoulder. Jubilee hugged him as she looked at Creed's still body – it was as if she half expected him to simply stand up at any moment and come after them like some horrible psycho killer movie villain.

Then an idea hit her. She aimed her hands at Creed's head and took a cautious step forward as she slowly let the power and size of her plasmoids grow until they touched it. She concentrated as hard as she could then she began to force the plasmoids to tear him apart on as close to a molecular level as she could assess – her aim was to detonate each atom until there was nothing left in it's place on the lawn, not even a burn mark. In the end, there was a small charcoal looking lump and a scorch mark but outside of the smell of burnt hair … there was no sign of it any longer.

Scott had watched her, shocked at her sudden fine level of control.

"Good idea, Jubes, but I have to ask," he said quietly "how the heck did you do that?" Jubes laughed through her tears.

"I've been watching Wolvie. I finally realized what happens when he just kind of ….. does his thing. So I tried to do it too. In private. I think I have it figured out now. It feels weird, but it's also good, I guess," Jubilee told him. Surprised at both her candid confession and the fact that she'd been practicing at all, Scott gave her a squeeze.

"Well, you did really well. I'm going to wait for the Avengers to show. Why don't you just go on inside," Scott told her with a warm, fatherly tone. She gave him a quick hug and left him though she did look over her shoulder a few times as she went. Sh was still in disbelief that Creed was gone for good. Now she just had to hope that Hank could figure out how to keep K from joining him and Logan from disappearing.

* * *

Stark landed about five minutes before the transport did.

"That's gruesome. Where's his head?" he asked as the face came off his armor.

"Would you believe Jubilee disintegrated it?" Scott told him as Stark circled the body. "Or most of it. That burnt smear is … it."

"Wow. How's Logan? This guy looks rough," Stark said, as he eyed the many slash marks and stab wounds littering Creed's body that many appeared to be half healed.

"He's fine. Not a scratch. K's in the lab though. He did something to her when they were fighting. Now she's not healing." Scott told him, Stark froze mid step. His eyes widened and he stared between Sabretooth and Scott.

"K did this?" he said in total disbelief. Scott nodded and Stark looked deep in thought before he turned and rushed for the lab.

Hank and Celia had gotten the bleeding to slow, and when Tony got there, Logan was hooked up with a heavy duty looking IV as they transfused her with his blood. He was just giving her everything he could to keep her going as he sat next to her in a bed. Logan looked up at him as he entered - Stark was still in his armor.

He stepped forward and the mask went back on as he started giving Jarvis some orders. He held up his arm over the prone woman and scanned her body. Logan and Hank both watched him as if he was crazy as he did so. The scan stopped and a laser focused itself on her leg where the wound was deepest and hardest to stop bloodflow.

"Doc, looks like there's a shard of carbonadium near that artery. Might want to test her blood – if there's any left," Stark suggested. His face was grim and his eyes were wide. Logan's heart dropped. Carbonadium suspended his healing factor and from the looks of things, it did the same to her.

Hank drew the blood and ran the tests and within a few minutes, the Shi'ar machinery confirmed Starks' scans. Hank pushed Logan out of the way and rushed to remove the shard in her leg. Of course, the bleeding picked up again from him digging for the metal and he applied pressure while Celia prepped the little used, but much threatened, dialysis machine.

If there was free floating carbonadium, it would have to come out or she wouldn't be able to recover. The dialysis machine would be able to remove the shards along with any other toxins that had accumulated since the injury.

They waited until the very last moment before they stopped the transfusion she was getting from Logan. Two hours later, the wound was finally, very slowly, starting to close. The machine had indeed removed quite a few free floating fragments. A second scan by Stark's armor confirmed that she was clean. Logan thanked him with a curt nod as Celia pulled the curtain around K and cut off her bloodied clothes. She'd redressed her in a hospital gown when Stark stopped Hank.

"Why are you tying her down? That doesn't seem right," Tony said, uncomfortable with Hank's decision.

"It's not for her, it's for us. She will most likely become very violent upon finding herself in my lab, redressed and cleaned up," he explained as he shortened the tether on her wrist. Tony looked at Logan – distress clear on his face.

"This is alright with you?" Stark asked Logan as he washed the blood from her face. Logan shook his head, but something in his eyes showed that he understood it.

"No it's not. Hank's just tryin' to keep himself in once piece though," Logan replied as he turned to face the billionaire. "You know, they usually do the same to me too. Things get ugly when you been experimented on and wake up in a place like this." He looked sad as he returned to gently cleaning her up. Stark looked her over with a frown as his eyes stopped on her left hand.

"Huh," he said as he looked at the congealed blood on her hand, centering around what he was sure looked like an engagement ring. "You guys getting married?" Logan stopped cleaning her face, watching her sleep.

"I hope so," he said quietly. Tony tactfully squeezed his shoulder before he left the couple alone.


	23. Finals Time

_KJAX! Thanks for reviewing ... and ya, he's a sick little monkey. Thanks for the kind words!_

* * *

_Motherfucker,_ K thought. She had started to wake up and was feeling groggy as hell. She was cursing her luck again as the sound of the beeping monitor registered in her brain.

_Dear God, please don't let me be in some hell hole again. _The smell of flowers surrounded her. Why did it smell like flowers?

"Mornin' sunshine. You gonna open your eyes or just pretend you're asleep all day?" Logan's voice broke the beeping for her and she smiled contentedly as she opened her eyes.

At least she wasn't somewhere horrible if he was there, hopefully. He smirked at her as he leaned in to kiss her. He didn't wait to untie her restraints as he hovered over her body.

She chuckled when he copped a feel as he went to release her. When he started to fiddle with the restraints, she realized she was indeed in the lab. But, where did the flower smell come from? When he broke the kiss, she tore her eyes from him and looked around her in awe. Half the lab was overflowing with flowers.

"Where did these come from?" she asked as she sat up and pulled the IV out of her arm.

"Stark's idea, if you can believe it," He said as he shook his head. "He didn't like that Hank had you restrained. He thought if the scent of the lab was drowned out with something …. nicer, you might not wake up panicking." She looked around in shock. The most fragrant flowers were closest to her – lilacs in vases and hyacinths in full bloom in pots. The smell was nearly overwhelming.

"Why didn't you just climb in with me?" she asked and got a smirk from him.

"Molesting you in your sleep might be considered as assault," he deadpanned.

"Or it might wake me up faster," she countered as Hank found his way over to the couple.

"It's also a bit of a 'congratulations' on finally, truly killing that sorry piece of garbage," He told her as her eyes went wide.

"What did I miss?" she asked breathlessly. "Because I know he wasn't dead when I passed out." Logan gave her a very quick version of events as K tried hard to remember all the details of the encounter with Creed.

"You are very lucky, young lady," Hank told her as he interruped Logan's recount of events and she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"Do you have anything to wear that doesn't make my ass hang in the breeze?" K asked as she tried to cover herself. Hank just laughed and handed her some sweats.

"Good lord. I feel like I'm going for some kind of record, going through these things," she griped as she pulled the top on.

"You got a way to go to catch up to the record," Logan teased as she gave Hank a litle wave on the way out.

Classes were in session when they left the lab so the halls were empty as they made their way to their room. K was itching to take a shower.

"So, really - what happened back there anyhow?" she asked as they climbed the stairs.

"He poisoned you. Stopped you from healin' and damn near bled you out. Thought I was gonna lose you for a little bit there. Hank had to take some pretty extreme measures. Scared the hell outta me ya hothead. You can't do that kinda crap to me," he told her with a grim look on his face.

"I'm sorry," she said earnestly as the blush rose in her cheeks. "He was coming out of the woods ... he'd already spotted me. I just … didn't really have time to say anything," she tried to explain weakly.

"I call bullshit. That's not how Jubes saw it, darlin. You had time, you just wanted to take him out. I get that, but it's not just you anymore. Don't take those kinda chances. I don't wanna have to bury another woman I love," he replied, his spontaneous confession flat took her off guard. She suddenly felt very guilty for taking a risk like that when he pointed it out so plainly. The last thing she wanted was for him to be hurting on her account. She nodded silently.

"I won't do anything like that again. I promise," she choked out, as they reached the door to their room she remembered how freaked out she was when he was in the lab and unresponsive. He closed the door with his foot then pushed her across the room to the bed as he landed kisses on the growing amount of exposed flesh while he stripped her down.

* * *

The adults of the mansion had gathered in the dining room. It was that time of year where they had to prepare the students for their finals, which at the Xavier Institute, meant that it was going to be a time of danger and excitement clashing harshly with hours of long, written tests.

K had not planned on showing up to the meeting seeing as her class was considered more of a fun thing than a real subject.

That is, she wasn't going to until Logan dragged her to the meeting. She didn't pay attention as they discused the testing schedule. Instead, ==she leaned back in her chair and let her hair hang down over the back of it as she swayed her head. She liked feeling her hair move while they argued over time slots. Since no one's test would fit in one class time, they had to concoct a schedule that would work for all of them. She gave up even trying to pretend like she was a participant and laid her head down on her arms while they hammered out the details of who would be assisting who on each testing session. She damn near had a heart attack when the room got quiet suddenly and Scott cleared his throat.

"Will next weekend work for you?" Charles said as K picked her head up, eyes wide as she looked from one face to the next. Logan was biting his lip and Charles was smirking. Everyone else had taken to simply staring.

"For … what exactly … " K replied in a bewildered tone as her eyes flicked between the faces.

"A practical test for the students. Will next weekend be alright?" Charles asked again with his mischeivous smirk.

"Oh. A riding test? OH. Sure. That'll work, I suppose," She replied as Charles smiled at her. "But what exactly … I mean how do you want to grade it?"

"Do you need some help from the other staff for testing?" Scott asked as he largely ignored her question. "Because if you do, we'll need to know now so we can make sure you have all the help you need."

She looked at Scott as her mind raced. She had no clue how to grade them on riding. It's not like it was rocket science. You keep the horse between you and the ground. She could think of nothing that would keep things interesting. Not after Logan and Kitty's classes were done testing anyhow. Bobby even planned a snowball fight for after his math class was done testing.

"Yes … " She said slowly as she tried to decide on the fly what could be done.

"O. K. - how many?" Scott asked, as he flipped through his note pad to see who was available.

"All of them," K said as she pulled her shoulders to her ears. The whole table stopped and looked at her.

"Really. Everyone." Scott said flatly then dropped his pad on the table in front of him. She nodded her head. She had just realized what her test could be. Scott just stared at her for a moment. "That alright with everyone?" Scott asked before he scanned the table. No one objected, not when their curiosity was peaked. "Great. You got it. Post up instructions on the board. Testing will start at 8am."

"Make it 10," she requested. Scott stopped, looked at her a moment then nodded before he changed his notes to the later time. She looked to Logan who was just smirking at her.

"What," she said as she looked him up and down. He just shook his head, sure that she'd just bullshitted her way out of an awkward situation while simultaneously getting Scott to bend at the same time. It was mildly entertaining.

"Lastly – the art class," Scott continued as half of the staff already began to look away and avoid his eyes. "As always they will need a model. Who's turn is it this year?" he asked as he looked around the room.

"K's never done it," Remy said with a smile. K looked over to him and shrugged.

"Sure, why not," She replied easily before she leaned back in her chair.

"You do know that they're drawin' nudes?" Logan asked her with his eyebrows drawn together. It was obvious he didn't like this plan of action.

"No, but thanks for the heads up," She replied easily. "I'll make sure I wax." Bobby barely covered his mouth to stifle the laugh in time as she looked at him like the immature child that he could so often be.

"That ain't gonna fly, darlin'," Logan told her as his expression suddenly turned very serious.

"Well … it's not like I'm giving lap dances. It's just drawing. I don't mind," she told him as the group watched the discussion.

"Too goddamned bad, I don't like it," he growled out.

"Logan, you're making a big deal about this. All of us have modeled for the class before. You know it's no biggie," Kitty told him, though she knew full well that he wasn't going to let this go very easily.

"Hypocrite," K said as she did her very best to sound scandalized, her eyes sparkled as a smile came on her face. It was clear to everyone there that Logan was getting angry with her. Kitty held her breath as K opened her mouth with a snarky comment ready to fly.

"Can you just do it with a leotard so he doesn't have a coronary?" Scott interjected before K could strike in hopes of defusing the situation. K looked at Scott like he ran over her dog.

"Of course, Tovarich," Piotr said with a smirk, entertained at Logan's possessive streak that was starting to rear it's ugly head. The rest of the meeting went off without any further problems with K's hand rested on Logan's thigh as a kind of peace offering. After they dispersed, Logan tried to pull her up to their bedroom with him.

"Hey, I have a test to prep for mister," she told him as she pulled her hand free. He smirked a little and crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall.

"You actually got a plan in mind or are you just givin' me a hard time?" Obviously, he wasn't convinced that she was really ready to drop the little argument from earlier.

"Little bit of both," she admitted freely. "But, I really do have to talk to Scott, I have a list of things I'm going to need before the weekend for this …. test." Logan looked surprised.

"I thought you were teasin'. What kind of things do you need?" he asked, curious now as to what she had brewing.

"Oh, you know …. some stuff I can just get from around the property … logs and things, but I need a few ropes, some barrels, poles, a mailbox, flares, some lumber, oh - and of course, I'll need a backhoe." She rattled off quickly. He was sure she was pulling his leg with that list.

"Bullshit. You don't need all that crap just for a riding test," he growled out.

"How many riding tests have you run? None? That's what I thought. Tell you what – if you're nice, you can help me – but not with the backhoe. That baby's gonna be all mine. I love those things." He couldn't tell if she was teasing him or not. She looked like she was telling the truth.

"What the hell. I wanna see the look on Scooter's face when you tell him you need heavy equipment," He replied with a shurg as his curiosity outweighed his irritation from earlier.

In short, it was totally worth it when K handed Scott the list of things she would need for the riding tests. As he read through it, his face betrayed his disbelief at some of the items she had requested.

"You really need all this stuff?"

"Unless you want them falling asleep in the saddle. You said test. This will make one helluva test," she explained. He couldn't figure out for the life of him what she was up to, but before she was through, he promised to get her everything on the list.

* * *

She had trouble getting away from Logan the morning of the Art Class's final. He tried to keep her from getting dressed, but that backfired spectacularly when she told him she'd just walk down without any clothes. He backpedaled and finally grudgingly handed her the leotard in exchange for a kiss.

The art class went well, though she was more than ready to move by the time she was done. She had to laugh when Logan checked in with the class – obviously he felt he had to make sure she didn't strip down just to be spiteful. When he walked around the room to check in on what the drawings actually looked like, he paused at a few with a slightly impressed look overtaking his scowl.

Scott was stunned when he went to inspect K's new obstacle course. When he saw what she was up to, he smiled, and asked if he could try it when it was finished. Of course, she agreed.

Riding was set to be the last test the students took before classes were out for the summer. The morning of the test K gave a very loose set of instructions to all the staff as she set them in different spots throughout the course and told them how to score the students.

Once everyone was in place, she ran through the course for the teachers to show them exactly what they were supposed to do. Most of them wanted to try it themselves before the day was out. When the students showed up, she gave them the instructions and picked up a stop watch.

"This is an extreme-style cowboy race, kids. You will have 25 obstacles, and it is timed. Accuracy and time counts. Most accurate and fastest rides will both get a prize."

She took the students to a spot where they could see the whole course, told them the path of the race and answered any questions on what to do.

The first few riders had a tough time, but made it through the course and were laughing by the end of it. Everyone stayed to watch their classmates and cheer them on. They counted it as a bonus when the teachers took the course on too. Many of them were laughing even harder than the students when Hank's horse wouldn't move halfway through or when Remy tried to go too fast for his skills and ended up on the ground. K was about to announce the winners for most accurate and fastest when Jubilee suggested that she and Logan run the course as a real race – one on one. K laughed it off, ready to wave off the suggestion when Logan agreed.

"You're kidding right?" K said as she looked at him in disbelief. He just smirked at her.

"Nope, everyone's had fun with it and a couple of these punks have money on it that I'll fall off. They're still mad about how the combat class test ended up." She looked at the student body, many of which she just then realized were sporting spectacular bruises.

"If you feel the need to get beat, alright then," She shrugged. They both went to the starting line and the kids choose the horses for them.

"Mount up at the signal to go?" she asked Logan. He just smirked in response and nodded. They both got ready, and on Scott's signal they both jumped.

Logan got the start on her, but she took off before her feet were in the stirrups. They were pretty much head to head for most of the race. Logan would gain a little just to lose it at the next obstacle.

Both students and staff were cheering as the couple got knock down drag out competitive. K even reached over and acted as though she was going to untie his saddle.

In the end, she edged him out by two lengths. From the finish line, Scott took over and announced who won between the two grinning ferals – not that anyone was in doubt on the finish.

K looked around laughing as she tried to regain her thoughts when Logan just grabbed her and planted a kiss on her. She was totally distracted for a moment until he reminded her she had awards to hand out. She blushed at him for a moment before she remembered what she was doing and reached into her back pocket to pull the award envelopes out.

"You can help me hand out the prizes," She smiled to him as she handed them to him and turned back to the waiting student body.

"Most accurate run goes to Jubilee," she announce and gladly gave the little firecracker a hug when she came up to claim her prize. "Good job, kiddo," she beamed at her as Logan gave her a squeeze and an envelope containing a wad of cash.

"And fastest run belongs to Hisako. Well done," K told her as she awkwardly gave K a quick hug and smiled when Logan allowed a little squeeze as he handed her an envelope identical to Jubilee's. K turned to look at Logan then back to the school in general as Scott dismissed them with some final announcements before the break began.

The couple leaned on the fence and watched as the crowd dispersed and a few of the students volunteered to put the horses up. K was enjoying the late afternoon light when Logan took her hand in his and interlocked their fingers. She smiled absently as his thumb stroked hers. He pulled her gently to him then pinned her arms behind her back and kissed her against the fence post.

"Get yer bags packed, sweetheart. We got a little trip to go on in the mornin'," he told her when their kiss ended. She wrinkled her forehead, clueless as to what he had in mind.

There wasn't anything happening was there? He smiled at her expression – a sure tip off that she didn't have clue one before he led her up to the house.


	24. Tying the knot

Morning came waaay too early for K after the night Logan had treated her to. How the hell was he even awake and upright already? What the hell …

"C'mon, darlin' we gotta get rollin'," he warned her as he gently rubbed her shoulder. She responded by pulling the blanket over her head and curling up on herself into a ball. He let out a chuckle before he tried to coax her for a minute. When that didn't work the way he wanted to, he pulled the blanket from her.

The morning sun was way brighter than she thought it should be as the blanket came off her face. She scowled at him then cracked one eye open from under the arm that was crossed over her face. She slowly stretched out as she rolled over sleepily. Then she arched her back in a stretch before she went right back to burying herself in the pillows again. She peeked at him through the hair over her face.

"Isn't there any way I can get you to stay in bed for another half hour? Please?" she asked as sweetly as she could manage as she tried to coax him into it without risking anything with a bet. He watched her flirt and with a growl he decided to give her what she wanted – sort of.

He smirked as he climbed back on the bed and hovered over her naked form as he peppered her with kisses and nips. He started at her neck and slowly worked his way down to her hips. She was fully awak by the time he readjusted himself from there.

The sparkle in his eyes when he paused should have tipped her off … that was his final warning shot that she should just do what he said, but she waved at that warning as it went by … particularly since he'd been so nice about the next part in the past …

He got a grip on her legs and started kissing his way down her knee and up her thighs as she just closed her eyes and relaxed … but before long … she was begging him to stop as she tried and failed to dislodge his head from between her legs by his hair while she promised to do what he asked. He smirked as he finally looked up to her flushed face. Her knees were shaking and her hands were still twisted in his hair.

"You gonna behave now?" he asked as he dragged his teeth over his bottom lip. He didn't move until she both nodded and _said _ 'yes'. With a self satisfied smile, he released her and climbed off the bed before he offered to help her upright. She stared up at him, half breathless as he smirked at her.

"I will get you back – you know that, right?" she promised with a dark look on her face. He grinned as he pulled her upright.

"God I hope so. That's one helluva way to wake up … begging to stop because it's too _good. _Come on, get packin'," he replied as he headed off to clean himself up and let her get dressed. He could talk a good game, but after that little morning interlude she was lucky he'd stopped instead of keeping her in bed for another couple hours. She shook her head to herself and had slipped on a blue flannel shirt when he came back out.

"I can't pack until you tell me where we're heading," she told him as she buttoned. He pulled her to him and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. He didn't want to have her run off when he told her what he had in mind.

"It's June, sweetheart. We've had a couple too many close calls for my comfort," He told her and for K, comprehension finally dawned.

"_Oh,_ you … you mean ... you want … it's .. it's time we...oh … shit," she stammered quietly, her eyes wide.

"Yeah," he cut her off and just watched the shock wash over her.

_Oh hell. He wants it official, and he wants it now,_ She thought to herself as her nerves caught up to her.

"Well, we, we … don't have anything figured out …. I mean, you said you wanted to do it right, right?" she started to babble. She started to wonder out loud how in depth he'd gotten as her hands went numb. He shook his head at her with his eyes closed and shoulders relaxed as he tried to will her anxiety away.

"I said I wanted a ceremony. Only thing I got planned is the minister," he clarified. That seemed to actually work, to his great relief.

"Welllll … okay then. A slightly more formal version of eloping is it?" she asked. He nodded and her tension seemed to ease considerably. He relaxed a bit more himself. It was a very real concern of his that she would just panic and cancel – maybe even disappear.

"What do you say, darlin'?" she thought about it a few seconds as her heart raced. She didn't realize that she was nodding until she said yes. He kissed her tenderly then with a final squeeze, he released her to step back and pick up her bag.

"Wait … what about the ..." she began as her anxiety started to ratchet up again, but he cut her off before she could get too far into it.

"Relax. You love me right?" he asked, she nodded. "Well, I love you, so - what are you waiting for?" She sighed. It was more complex than that – and he knew that damn well. She was going to argue it but the positive, hopeful expression on his face was just so … irresistable.

"You know, I really hate when you're right," she conceded as she resigned herself to his will and followed his lead.

At the bottom of the stairs a group of X-women were waiting for her, though their ranks were peppered with a few faces she'd never met before. Just before they reached them, Logan kissed her. Not in a simple 'I love you' kiss but one of those kisses that turned her knees to jelly and stole the last little bit of her breath until she was holding onto him for support. All while he seemed to simply be enjoying the taste of her lips as he pulled her tightly to him. He poured his all into it and when the kiss came to it's natural end, her lips were tender and she just wanted more as they both opened their eyes, panting.

She'd have been embarrassed by the display had it not been for the fact that he was clearly in a more obvious state of arousal. He didn't seem to give two shits on who saw either. He gave her another quick kiss, murmured out a low _"love you"_ then simply handed her off to the crowd of women that K just registered was still standing there.

"See ya tomorrow, darlin'," he said with a smirk as a tall unfamiliar redhead took her hand from him. She whistled low as his back retreated from view down the hall.

"I have never seen him quite like that," she said just before she pulled K into a hug and introduced herself as one of Logan's oldest and dearest friends – Heather Hudson. He had, of course, mentioned Heather to her before … he'd just forgotten to mention how absolutely gorgeous she was.

"Logan said you banned the girls from planning out a wedding for the two of you?" Heather asked with her brow wrinkled up a bit. "Why? They wouldn't have gone overboard." K pulled herself out of her haze to answer her.

"They'd already gone over board when I banned them," K replied as she looked over to Jean who shrugged without the least bit of regret.

"So sue me. I wanted to make it nice for you, so did everyone else," Jean said in a slightly grumpy tone as she stood next to Heather. They could practically be bookends. "Which is why we asked Heather to figure out the details for you. She's not a member of the team, so technically, you didn't ban her." Jean said with a smile as she waved the loop hole in front of K's nose.

"I did get some help," Heather admitted. Jean and Logan both had warned her of how skittish the little woman was and she did not want to start off on the wrong foot with Logan's bride – or worse yet be the impetus that made the woman run from him.

"No, we were consulted," Ororo insisted. "We did not help, though we wish we could have." Before K could gather her senses enough to protest or get too nervous at the implications, they'd sprung into action and dragged her to the garage to leave while the women she didn't know drew her attention by introducing themselves to her and trying to use small talk as a buffer while Jean monitored her mental state. There was no way in hell she was going to let K disappear on her watch. The bride would be delivered to the ceremony come hell or high water.

* * *

That night, the guys were getting loud and doing their best to try and give Logan a hard time, but he was in fine form and rolling with everything with an ease that spoke volumes of his mental state.

The liquor was flowing freely and everyone had brought some to the party. Poor Nightcrawler was nearly falling down drunk already as he took it as a personal crusade to enthusiastically enjoy keeping Logan out of trouble 'one last time'. Logan of course, spent the better part of the evening trying to catch up to the elf's buzz.

Logan was quite surprised when the tall quiet man that Scott had been chatting with finally got a moment to introduce himself as K's old friend Bill, from Superior. Scott looked at him strangely as he shook Logan's hand.

"Superior? As in the lake?" Scott asked. Bill just laughed a bit at him.

"No, the state. The Superior State," Bill told him – clearly he thought he'd just let the man in on the joke but Scott stared at him blankly. "The Yoop, boy. Better half of Michigan." Recognition finally dawned. Must be a local thing. "What the hell're you teachin' those kids at the school if you don't even know that much?" Bill teased. Logan smirked at Scott's discomfited stance as Bill shook his head and turned his attention to the groom.

He congratulated Logan on landing the girl then explained that back home, she had a bit of a reputation of being a hell raiser, though she rarely, if ever took up any of the guys on their offers for anything but fishing. According to Bill, she'd been more than happy to drink with them, hunt and fish with them, but no matter how smitten or sweet the guys were toward her, she turned down their romantic offers across the board.

"I dunno what you did to get her, mister, but I can tell ya you're the envy of nearly every fella I know. Damn near every man that knew her woulda given his left arm just for a chance. You just don't find women like that anywhere," Bill lamented as he shook his head. Logan chuckled to himself – so among her friends, she had a known reputation as a hard ass. Why was he not surprised?

"If she never took up with anyone, Bill, where do you come in?" Logan asked as Bill looked a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, I won't lie, I tried to throw my hat in the ring too, but you know when a girl ain't interested. I swallowed my pride and just made friends with her instead. Good thing I did too – I'd have missed out on a helluva lotta fun if I'd just wrote her off. Ya know, she worked for me at my barn for a while, training the horses. When she took off, I offered to take care of her cottage for her until she got back. To be honest, it'd been long enough, I started to think she mighta gotten herself into a tight spot or killed when I never heard nothin' from her. I was so damn glad to hear she was alive an' well when that Summers woman called, I damn near cried," Bill told him with a fond smile.

But several things in that little story caught Logan's attention – and being the opportunist he was, he figured a liquored up old friend would spill his secrets much faster than a sober one. After Logan spent some time plying him with liquor, he struck.

"Why'd she leave anyhow?" Logan asked casually. If all Bill said was true, then he was very curious as to why she'd leave a good group of friends and a job that let her do what she loved.

"She didn't tell ya, eh?" he replied as he met Logan's eyes, "I'm not surprised. Never seen her so damned upset or pissed off than she was that day." His eyes narrowed as he watched Logan's reactions.

"To be honest, I never asked 'er," Logan said with a shrug. "Don't usually spend too much time in the past."

"Well, the MRD came a knockin' so to speak. Now, a few of us knew she was a mutant – myself included, but we just didn't care. She was good company, she never did nothin to anyone, and easy on the eyes – don't take offense now. Anyhow, some fella she'd turned down at the bar saw her get hurt on a horse real bad. Said she broke her neck." Bill paused and shook his head sadly.

"Anyhoo, he rushed in there, ready to call the ambulance when he said she kinda cracked her neck and stretched out. She just healed right there like that and sat up. First he was scared of what he saw, then he got nasty with her. She tried like hell to convince him he didn't see what he saw, but you don't see stuff like that every day and he knew."

He sounded down just relaying the story. "He still was pretty chapped that she turned him down flat not even a week or so before. He figured he had an advantage in the situation once he knew what she was. The bastard told her she'd have to screw him from there on out, or he'd call her in. He even went so far as to put his hands on her and start unzippin'. He sure figured he had her over a barrel. Wasn't expectin' her to get mad. And boy – did she ever get pissed off.

Way I heard it, she half beat the hell outta him and told him to go to hell, among other things, I'm sure. So … he called her in. The horse was still in the pen when she come up to the house in tears. I tried to get her to wait, but she ran off and just disappeared into the woods.

A couple of us beat the shit outta him whenever we saw him until he moved away. Don't know what ever happened to him, to be honest." Logan's temper flared on hearing that a stupid, petty misogynist had set off a miserable chain of events for her.

"But," the big man continued. "Looks like that's all in the past. It worked out for the best. She's got a guy that can handle her, eh?" Logan took it as the complement it was meant to be and handed Bill another beer as he clapped him on the back.

* * *

The girls had made a full schedule for K in a blatant attempt to keep her mind occupied. Between travel, the Spa, the manicurist, the movies, the impromptu wedding shower (that was so very clearly set up far ahead and consisted entirely of flimsy lacy under garments - and of course a flannel shirt from Chloe and Zoe that K simply hugged for the remainder of the night) not to mention the prep on the day itself, K hardly had a moment to register that she wasn't sleeping with his arms around her for the first time in months.

The morning of the wedding was beautiful. Perfect clear blue skies graced her with birds singing just outside of her bedroom window and the smell of fresh flowers was slowly augmented with the rich warm tone of coffee.

K was awakened fully by Kitty bearing a gift of a tall mimosa while she swore to her that it was good for the nerves. She got three sips in before Ororo removed it from her death grip and sent her into the shower. Fifteen minutes later, they descended on her head before she had even the chance to dry off. K sat there in a towel, self conscious while the most beautiful and formidable women in the world fussed over her hair and makeup. It had her feeling quite small.

"Ladies, really, we were talking about blue jeans yesterday, there is NO need for all this, just let me pull it into a ponytail, I'm sure Kurt won't judge," K said as she tried to wave them off. It was one thing to agree to a wedding – another to agree to a full platoon of make over specialists.

All motion stopped and they pulled back to face her – each woman with an incredulous look on her face.

"A ponytail? Please tell me this is your poor attempt at a joke," Betsy frowned.

"No, seriously, just let me do this easy ... please?" K nearly begged. Jean knew this would happen eventually – she just hoped that K would have just kept it to herself and humored the women around her.

"Not a chance," Heather replied with conviction, "YOU may have not known about this until yesterday, but WE have been planning since he proposed. Logan doesn't even know what all is going on." K gasped a bit as she looked around the room at them and it started to hit her.

"Oh no. Oh … shit. What happened to you didn't have anything to do with it?" K asked, anxious as she looked up at Jean, who shrugged noncommmitally and decided they should come clean. She needed to understand why eloping was not an option.

"Just about every time there is a wedding for one of us it gets ruined. _He needs this_ way more than he realizes, especially after Mariko left him at the altar. Now, that's not going to happen today, right?" Kitty asked as she snatched up K's hand on the premise of double checking the manicure that was not even 12 hours old.

"I can't really compare to her, guys. I'm no Mariko – or Fox … or …." She looked at the beauties around her and bit her lip. "They were all special," K said with her eyes downcast. "I'm just more … durable. That's all."

Shock was written on all their faces, but it was Jean that broke the silence.

"You're joking. You have to be joking. You, young lady are far prettier and more special than you give yourself credit for. Just trust me on this. You don't _need_ us to do all this … all this fussing to make you look gorgeous, but it's your wedding! Just wait until you see yourself in the mirror. You are stunning and don't even know it. But, if you really want to fight us, I'll just put a whammy on you long enough for us to get you ready. You'll wake up as you're walking down the aisle. You are a once in a lifetime girl. If you don't believe me, ask Logan. He's old enough to know the difference," Jean finished.

There was just enough of an edge to her tone to let K know she wasn't fooling. So she ignored the nagging self doubt that had taken residence in her head and she resigned herself to them and their very girly clutches. As Heather started to curl her hair, she found she was laughing to herself about Jean's comments. Young lady. Heh. She was feeling her age … and it was nowhere near young. Betsy smiled up at her as she opened up what looked like a glorified tool box overflowing with lotions, potions, and makeup of all varieties. She directed K to hold still and close her eyes so she could work.

"I know how to wear makeup, ya know, I just don't like to," K grumbled under her breath as Betsy started on her canvas.

"Whatever. No one here has ever seen you really dolled up. EVER. So, until we've seen it, we can't believe it. If no one saw it, it didn't happen!" Jubilee threw at her.

"Et tu, Jubilation?" K growled. "I've worn dresses – I've looked ... nice."

"Lip gloss and mascara are not makeup on their own. They are components," Jubilee defended. K stole a glance at the girl and let out a sigh. That comment just made her feel about thirty years older than she was …

"OK, time to get dressed ladies." Jean said with a warm smile and light dancing in her eyes.

K didn't see her dress before she was stepping into it.

As she started to look down, Ororo swept her hair off her shoulders and held it up as Jean zipped it up. It felt good … smooth silk all around her. Before K could look into the mirror, they turned her around to look at them and fussed over the way her hair fell here and there. They took turns rearranging the new curls on her shoulders as Betsy triple checked her makeup.

"How are you doing?" Jean asked. "Nervous?"

"A little, why?" K asked, concerned there was a problem.

"I just don't want you to mess us your makeup," she replied as she gently spun her on the spot so she could see herself.

K simply didn't recognize the goddess in the mirror. Perfect hair and makeup accentuated her high cheekbones and dark eyes. Even her lips that she thought were a bit too thin looked kissable even to her.

The dress that they had chosen looked like something that had fallen from a magazine. Two thin sparkling straps held up an ethereal almost fairy like dress of white magical looking silk. It was fitted at her breasts and partway down her torso. From there, the silk gathered seamlessly to float down gently over her hips to pool at her feet.

She turned to one side and her eyebrows raised a hair when she saw how much silk was waiting to dance behind her as she walked. It wasn't a train … thank God, but if her guess was right … it would certainly be eye catching. No matter which way K turned, no matter the direction of the wind, it would skim her body like a lovers' caress. Completely sensual, and somehow sophisticated.

Just then Heather reached over and gently closed her mouth as she handed her an understated bouquet of peonies and roses all pinks and white.

"That's the reaction we're expecting from the groom, honey," Heather said with a pleased smile as she looked at her as if she was her big sister. She couldn't speak as she went numb suddenly with elation and terror. She'd never been truly scared of anything but now she was terrified to walk down the aisle to the man that she loved. Her mind was racing faster than Jean could track it.

What if he didn't show up? What if he changed his mind? What if he realized that the _only_ way she'd ever be pretty enough was if there was a crack team of beautiful mutant women picking out her wardrobe and working their voodoo on her 24 hours a day? Her knees began to buckle, and Kitty swept over and caught her right before she went down. With a steady hand, she guided her to the bed to sit down.

Jean and Betsy looked at each other then both took a seat on either side of her as they tried to calm her. Betsy looked her squarely in the face before giving her viewpoint of the truth.

"I know what you're thinking and you're wrong. If he did not find you irresistible as you are every day, he certainly would not have asked you to marry him. Do _not_ doubt me on this. I'm not nearly as ethical as Jean about keeping out of other's heads – and it's far easier to get into his head for me than for anyone else to." K turned her head to asses the psychic as she continued.

"You effect each other _deeply_, and believe it or not, he is more nervous than you right now. He just has more experience covering it," Betsy told her, rock solid in her position. K took a deep breath. She could find no lie on Betsy's face, though she didn't expect to see one on a telepath anyhow. Suddenly, her magnificent purple head popped up and crossed the room. K turned to look at Jean as the red head touched her arm but before she could say anything encouraging, Betsy returned, kneeled down in front of the little bride and lifted K's dress.

Her arms flew out behind her to keep her balance as Betsy yanked her leg and slipped a garter on her. If the entire action hadn't startled the little feral, how high Betsy moved it up her leg sure as hell did. K tried to block her hand as she kept moving it impossibly higher.

"Woah! Jesus, Betts – what the hell?" K started as Betsy smiled up at her from the floor.

"Don't you dare move it. That's for Logan," she grinned. K stared at her a moment and tried to steady her nerves. The feel of the lace on her leg only made it worse as it triggered K into near hyperventilation.

"OK that's it. Rogue, would you go get Remy for a moment? K needs a little help," Jean decided, Rogue didn't waste any time as she zoomed off, only to return with her cajun lover a few minutes later.

"Mon dieu. Such a pretty wreck Remy has never seen," Gambit said as he knelt down next to the terrified little woman. He covered her shaking hands with his and smiled warmly as he tried to subtly manipulate her emotions enough to calm her. The whole room collectively held their breath – if ever there was a case for a runner – it was K. Remy knew his manipulation was working when she gave his hand a little squeeze in thanks.

"Alright," K said quietly with a shaky voice. "How long before we need to get this show on the road?"

"Right now if you're up to it. They're just waiting on you," Heather smiled back at her.

"Oh, that helps," K mumbled sarcastically before she took a deep breath. "Alright. Now or Never. OK. Let's do it." She looked more like she was ready to go 3 rounds with Sabretooth than give herself to Logan as his wife. All jokes aside, they didn't understand her reluctance, and she wasn't about to crack open that can of worms for them right there lest it overwhelm her.

* * *

"Are you ready for this, because you don't have to go through with it if you changed your mind," Scott told her as he took K's hand. Jean had clued him in to how nervous the bride was – and she was having second thoughts about pushing the little brunette into following through. Scott however, just wanted to find a way to ease the woman's mind.

"Yeah. I think I am. It's just, well … I was raised at a time when getting married was pretty much domestic slavery. I've avoided it my whole life," K confessed. "Never stuck around long enough for it to become a real option … but he just was so … fast about this. He swept me up with him." Scott was suddenly hit with a strong urge to just give her a hug. She let out a little breath and sniffed a little bit. "And, you know, I don't want to make an ass of myself." He smiled as she composed herself again. He could see how she could work so well with Logan – she shifted gears faster than he did.

"You're marrying Logan, so, it's too late for me to stop you making an ass of yourself," he teased her, which earned him a grin. He hesitated before he asked her about where she was raised. His mind went to cults and religious fanatics. He didn't expect for K to laugh like she did when she confessed what until just then only Logan knew.

"I was born in 1907, Scott. Women didn't even vote until 1920. My mother expected me to marry up and have a dozen babies by the time I was thirty. And he's older than I am. I mean, come on. Those Victorian women were well dressed chattel," she explained as her hands began to shake again. In a moment of surprising honesty, Scott defended Logan.

"He's not like that, K. He'd do anything for you, I know it. He's a lot more modern than you'd give him credit for," Scott said in a firm voice. "Sure he's territorial, but damnit, so am I. That's just how men get when they know they found the right girl."

She didn't point out that with ferals it had to be a little different. Instead, K smiled genuinely at him as she took his arm. Both of them had to laugh at the fact that Scott would be giving her to only served to accent that Logan knew as little about this as K did.

She took a few deep breaths and suddenly she couldn't hear anything but the rushing of blood in her ears. Very fuzzily she could hear Scott urging her to either go down the aisle or run the other way. With a nervous laugh, they stepped out of the cabin and headed towards the clearing in the woods where K could see their extended family gatherered, clearly awaiting them. Through the trees, K saw a group of men, dressed to the nines, and what she believed was her betrothed as he readjusted his tie and stood with a few other men.

She looked up at Scott and nodded.

* * *

_Must be time for things to get rollin',_ Logan thought to himself as he spotted the women coming down, all looking the part of perfection. They all had the same mona lisa smile in place, and suddenly Logan was nervous. _What do they know?_ He wondered as he turned to Mac next to him. Before he could say anything, Mac broke the silence.

"Wow, Logan. You know how to pick 'em," he said. Logan turned and caught sight of her as K made her appearance in the tall wildflowers at the edge of the forest. Before he spotted her though, he caught her scent on the breeze. The crowd had quieted right after his head snapped up to her direction.

K was looking down, one hand holding up the front of her dress so she wouldn't trip, and the other looped through Scott's arm, holding a bunch of flowers.

_What the hell? Whose idea was it for Scooter to give her to me?_ Logan thought, as K's smiling face looked up to Scott, who was laughing with her like they were old friends. He was saying something that kept her moving forward, and Logan was grateful for whatever it was he was telling her. His eyes slid up and down her body finally locking with hers as the laugh fell from her lips, for an instant her nervousness showed as she looked a bit like a deer in headlights before she smiled warmly at him. With no warning, his breath caught in his throat.

_Logan, breathe, _Jean prompted as her voice echoed in his head. He blinked hard a few times and forced air into his lungs. It took him a tremendous amount of control to restrain himself when Scott kissed her cheek and handed her off to him. He reminded himself over and over that he had to keep his hands to himself. For a little while longer anyhow. Once she was next to him, he couldn't tear his eyes from her, and she began to blush a little under his intense gaze. The winds picked up just enough to make the fabric on her dress float a bit. It danced across her hips and fluttered lightly at her breasts. And it was not helping his concentration at all.

Kurt made sure the ceremony was short and sweet and led the gathered friends as they applauded the couple while they kissed. Logan had pulled her tightly to him and was more than ready to claim his bride. He didn't even attempt to keep the kiss PG as he poured himself into it.

When he finally let her up for air, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly while he kissed her neck and held her close. She was smiling hugely in spite of herself and truly enjoyed his lack of self censorship as he showered her with kisses, and gripped her like a drowning man.

When he regained a little control of himself, Kurt gave K and Logan both a hug as he congratulated them. As the crowd surrounded them, wishing them well, K spotted Bill and flat did a double take before she made her way over to him with a grin.

"Oh my God. How did you get here?" she asked as she gave him a huge hug. Bill laughed with her but was very careful of where his hands rested after seeing how her new husband had held her so possessively.

"Little bird told me you were getting hitched. Little surprised you didn't tell me yourself. Your friends got me here. That Summers woman didn't want you marrying' this _canuck_ without a little backup," he laughed. She smiled and caught up with him quickly as Heather kissed a watchful Logan on the cheek. She made a point of telling him how pleased that she and Mac were that he'd finally found someone so right for him. As the little couple started to move on, Jubilee handed K her bouquet back.

"You have to throw it," she told her, dead serious. K huffed, but Chloe and Zoe were next to her, nodding in agreement. She opened her mouth to object when Jean asked the women to gather for the bouquet toss. She looked exasperated and Bill laughed out loud at her, knowing full well how much she disliked some of this feminine crap. Wedding traditions especially. Logan urged her to go ahead and she grudgingly chucked it as she rolled her eyes.

Kitty phased to snatch it up with a triumphant shout. The women around her cheered her on good naturedly. K thought she was off the hook until Betsy blocked her way and told Logan to go after the garter. He laughed and raised an eyebrow at her as K froze. Betsy explained to him that she'd put it on K herself and she expected him to go get it.

"No hands, Logan," she said as she grinned at K who cursed her in Swedish with a scowl.

_So that's why she'd put it so high up,_ K thought as she tried to make a stealthy to slip it down lower but Betsy grabbed her hand.

"No cheating either, K. You can't help him with this," She started to protest when the men began to cheer Logan on. He kissed her, and whispered out a few quick words of encouragement before he dived under her dress. His hands were firmly on her hips as he took his sweet time with a growl. K nearly screamed while the group cheered him on and K blushed as she struggled to keep him from forcing her legs too far apart.

She laughed with the group as his whiskers tickled her and he nipped at her under cover of the dress. He hadn't even attempted to get the damn garter until he'd thoroughly teased her. He shot her a sly smirk when he finally emerged and gave it a quick toss as he stood and kissed her. Several men dove for it at the last second into a pile up, with Bobby coming out victorious.

Scott invited the group to join them in celebrating while the newlyweds had a chance to take a moment and regroup. Scott leaned in to Logan to whisper something in his ear that K couldn't quite catch over the thrum of the crowd before the two men grinned at each other and Logan laughed outright. Before she could ask what it was all about though, he was pulling her behind him toward the cabin. Scott shook his head and directed the crowd of friends to the party, as they left Logan and K to their devices.


	25. Consummation and Obligations

The group of friends and well wishers left the couple alone for the time being. Everyone who knew Logan was well aware that his fine handle of control could only take so much before it broke completely, and if the look on his face was any indication, he had neared his breaking point.

He dragged her up to the cabin as he was totally unable to keep his hands off her any longer. She had slowed him down just enough to keep him from shredding the dress. As he pushed her against a tree, he started to ravish her. His hands roamed her body freely as she tried in vain to get him to just get her to the bedroom first.

"Logan wait … please, just …. ah – wait a minute!" she panted into his ear. Of course, for the mood he was in, it had exactly the opposite effect than what she'd wanted. His whole body was tensed, and in an instant, she realized how far gone he was.

Every breath she took, every move she made got her one step closer to him flat out having his way with her, and she knew it. It was a thrilling sensation.

Carefully, with his fine handle of control slipping he leaned in and kissed her gently – almost chastely before his hands slowly resumed their exploration of her sides and he suddenly pulled her dress up and slid one hand behind her knee to pull it over his hip. She kept trying to slow him down, but the time between him stopping and starting again shrunk the closer they got to the cabin. He was growling at her when she stopped him for the last time - within sight of the cabin.

"Please," she begged him, breathless and getting nervous at how focused he was on her. Her head was spinning. "As much as I love the woods … they put so much effort into making me presentable and I don't think tree bark lodged in my hair is a very gracious thank you for that. Can we please just make it to a bed?" she asked as he froze, his hand was almost to the point where her thigh met the curve of her backside and his thumb stroked her hip bone as he licked his lips. He couldn't stop the growl that came out any more than he could pull his lips from her neck.

"You might want to run then, darlin' or we're gonna end up startin' this in the dirt. No tree bark to worry about there," he told her as he forced himself away from her. He gave her the best chance he could manage, as he closed his eyes and tried to keep his back to her as she slipped away from him. She was perfectly silent as she positively booked it to the cabin.

He hadn't waited more than a few seconds though when he turned back around and the image of her dress flowing behind her struck a chord in him that he just couldn't overcome.

_Pretty prey, _he thought to himself an instant before he ran after her.

She could hear his footfalls as he caught up to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and picked her up. He kicked the door open and threw her over his shoulder to carry her in. K was laughing as he kicked the door shut behind them and rushed her to the bedroom. When he dropped her on the bed he started to frantically pull off his tie and jacket.

"Take it off or I will," he warned her seriously, as the shirt he was wearing hit the floor near the jacket. Not sure what exactly he wanted off first, she decided to take the smart route and slip off her panties first. He growled low when he spotted the lace she casually tossed next to his jacket across the room. She stood next to him and told him she was unable to reach her zipper right.

With no patience for such things, Logan rushed her as he yanked open his belt buckle. He pushed her dress up with one hand as he unzipped the back. He slipped his hands into the back of the dress before he slid the straps from her shoulders to exposing her breasts to him. He pulled away from her for a moment and let the dress fall to the floor. Before she could register anything, she found herself on her back as he settled between her legs, the dress forgotten while he caressed her breast and mouthed one of her nipples. She grabbed him by the sideburns and pulled him up to her, desperately wanting his kiss. He moaned as she slid her legs over his hips and she took point as the aggressor, with Logan trying to slow her down.

"This isn't going to work if you're going to stop me now," she moaned, as her hips tried to rise up to meet him and he slid a hand down to stop her.

"Consider it payback for earlier," he told her as he continued his controlled assault on her. He pulled back just enough to look at her. To him, she looked like a Goddess spread out and waiting for him on his flannel covered bed in the middle of nowhere. He couldn't believe his luck.

"Dear Lord, you're beautiful," he nearly whispered. "How the hell did I get you to agree to marry me." She very nearly teased him as she slid her hand up his neck, smiling at him. Instead, she just pulled him to her as he finally got to claim his bride.

* * *

Their friends, family and teammates started the party without them. They celebrated in their absence, toasting them while they were hiding away in their cabin. When the couple finally arrived, the women were surprised that K wasn't a total disaster. She'd touched up her makeup and actually looked every bit as lovely as she did for the ceremony. Logan however, looked incredibly guilty. His hair was a bit messier in spots. His tie was missing and the top buttons of his untucked shirt were opened. Even so, he was looking somehow, more handsome to several of his lady friends. It was Heather that figured it out.

"He's smiling. A lot," she said quietly to Kitty, who couldn't put her finger on it until it was pointed out. She was right, he was grinning almost non-stop, and he still couldn't seem to keep his hands off his new wife, at the least, holding her hand, resting a hand on her lower back or just running a finger down her arm as they cut a path through the crowd. The couple tried to take a moment to see everyone that had traveled so far to see them as Jean had warned them to do.

Bobby had the music going and it wasn't long before the group as a whole was dancing. K and Logan were being passed around to various dance partners. K was so busy having people cut in – and many of them introduced themselves as they did so. At one point, she didn't realize she was dancing with Stark until he spoke.

"So, you not only dance, but you clean up incredibly well," he said appraisingly as he shamelessly gave her a once over. Her eyes widened on seeing who she was dancing with. "What gives? Didn't Logan take the chance to ravage you while no one was looking?"

"If you had any kind of a nose worth a damn, you'd know," K countered. "But I guess I'll just take that as some kind of a complement in how well I can keep my dress in one piece? Or should I be insulted?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"No, complement is just fine. Congratulations by the way, I suppose," he mumbled.

"You're doing it again, Tony," she said, with a teasing tone to her voice. It was probably the first time she'd called him by his first name and it took him off guard.

"What?" he asked, though if the question was for what she meant or her familiar phrasing, even Tony didn't know.

"You talk and ruin it. Just be quiet and spin me," she said with a little smile.

"You know, if it weren't for the fact that you _just_ married the most dangerous mutant on the planet, I might just think you were flirting with me," he smirked.

"In your dreams, pal," she replied, her smile now replaced with a snarky glare. He opted to follow her advice and simply shut his mouth.

After that, he surprising her with both his gentlemanly presence and his skill on the floor. He was, for once, quite well behaved and when his dance was up, he kissed her hand and graciously handed her off to Steve as a slow song started up.

It seemed as though she'd be making her way through the Avengers. Steve had pulling her closely to him for the song as she spotted Logan across the floor, with some curvy redhead that Steve pointed out to her as Natasha, the Black Widow. K frowned a bit as she considered the way the spy was looking at her.

Stark had found Scott and the two were talking briefly before both of them looked to K, serious expressions on their faces. Her buzz from Logan started to wear off suddenly. So serious. None of it could be a good sign. Steve dipped her at the end of the song, which earned a smile from her before Logan cut in front of a massive long haired blonde man to kiss her palm as he pulled her from Steve.

"Maybe next time around, bub. She's all mine for this one," he said over his shoulder to the blonde, who smirked and stepped back as Logan kissed his new wife.

"Looks like there may be trouble brewin'," he whispered low. "Not sure what the story is, but they don't want to interrupt," he told her as he kissed her behind the ear.

"Well, they can. As long as they don't get you killed, I can probably find a way to wait for an extended love fest," she told him as she tried to be sensible. She didn't want him to change his whole life just because they were now married. Of course, she really didn't know what it meant for her, and how she would go about her business, but she felt like it would work out as long as they stuck together. He moved away from her neck just long enough to kiss her properly.

"Well maybe _I_ don't wanna wait," he said. "Maybe I wanna start right now." He let one hand slide up to cradle her head with the other was at the small of her back as he started to drift away from publicly acceptable behavior.

He didn't stop what he was doing when her knees started to buckle. He just made sure to support her better as she wrapped her arms around him and whispered in his ear. She begged him to control himself but only earned a growl and a bite. He maneuvered her to a dark corner before he picked her up and set her on a table so he could slip between her legs. She bit his ear with her canines as she fired him up further. It was devolving quickly into something very primal.

Scott cleared his throat as he looked at the ground. He felt awful even thinking about bothering them right then.

"Go 'way Slim," Logan said between nips and kisses, his back to him. K's eyes fluttered as she tried to pull Logan back a bit on seeing the look on Scott's face. She could see he wasn't trying to be a jackass.

"Might be important, Lo-" he shut her up with a kiss. Scott turned to Stark, who was smirking over their mutual teammate's rejection of anything outside of the attention of his new wife.

The two team leaders were soon joined by Hank, Steve, and the bulky blonde, who was the one to try to capture Logan's attention this time.

"My friend, we must have words now. Your woman will wait for you," he said but Logan still ignored them. K opened an eye, and managed to look up at them over his shoulder as he moved back to her neck and shoulder.

"Mr. Howlett, this looks important," K said in a purring tone that sent a shiver up his spine.

"What I'm doin' now is important, Mrs. Howlett," he growled out in return as he grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head backward, gently exposing her throat better for him to assault.

"I'd hit him with some lightning if it wouldn't hit the girl," The blonde mumbled as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. K's eyes popped open at the casual threat.

"What did you just say?" she asked in a dangerous tone as she pulled her head forward and Logan growled at her.

The blonde locked eyes with her and repeated himself more clearly. She was looking at him with her eyebrows drawn together. She could feel Logan smiling against her skin at her protectiveness of him when he finally let go of her hair and sighed as he composed himself. Stark took it on himself to introduce them, seeing as Logan was still gathering himself.

"Be kind, K. This big guy is a God to some," Stark informed her. She rolled her eyes, it sounded like bullshit to her. "No, really. That's Thor. Norse God of thunder?" K's eyebrows went up as she tipped her head to look Logan in the eye.

"You roll with Gods?" she asked, disbelief on her face. Logan nodded and looked a tad put out.

"Just the one."

"And you _neglected_ to tell my little Scandinavian ass …. why, exactly?" she asked as Thor smiled.

"Didn't think it mattered. Now I'm not sure I want ya around him. You're not into worshiping the Norse crew are ya?" Logan asked as he gave her a look. She smiled and kissed him, deftly avoiding the question as her hands slid into his hair on either side of his face.

Thor cleared his throat, and Logan broke the kiss even as one hand slid up her leg. He finally looked over his shoulder at the growing group of his team mates. Only Hank was grinning at him, the rest looked irritated that he'd ignored them for so long.

"Don't know if you heart, but I just got married. You don't have my attention or my loyalty right now. Leave me be, I'm busy," he informed them as he tried not to growl too loudly.

"All due respect, Logan, but it's not just you we need to talk to," Steve told him with his arms crossed. Logan scowled at him and slid his hand back out from under her dress. She took a deep breath and untangled herself from him. She smoothed out her dress as she slid off the table he'd set her on. Logan put his hands behind him when he turned to face them, trapping her there as he held onto the table.

"We're not going to take her, Logan," Steve said as he watched his old friend as he tensed up.

"What is it you want?" he barked. "What's so flamin' important?"

"Hydra infiltration. Now or never, save the world kind of issue. Believe me, no one here wanted to interrupt your sexy time," Stark said quickly, though he looked nervous as he watched Logan. The gruff little feral nodded his head once in understanding.

"How long's this gonna take?" Logan asked as K's arms slipped around his chest and she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Maybe a week – at most. We hope," Steve replied as he waited for a response. It took Logan a minute before he sighed and nodded his head.

"Okay, so … What else, Cap?" Logan asked gruffly. "You said you needed to talk to both of us. What else." Cap's eyes flicked to K just for a second before he met Logan's stare.

"We need to ask K if she can help too. It's nothing in the line of fire, I swear," Cap promised, his hands up as he tried to look passive.

"With. What." The growl was unmistakable.

"There's a threat to Avengers tower. We need her to stick with Stark for a week or so while we hunt down the outside threat and Tony finds the inside threat," Cap explained but Logan was already shaking his head no. "Logan, wait. His armor isn't working and Hydra _knows_ who his body guards are. We need someone that can go under cover with him, posing as a secretary or someone that he keeps close until he can fix the computer problem that are effecting his armor and get Jarvis tuned to scan for poisons."

"And you thought of her first?" Logan snarled, ready to start shredding. Thor stepped in front of Stark.

"They know who everyone else is, Logan. She's an unknown asset," Cap said, trying to calm him, but his phrasing left something to be desired.

"She ain't an asset, she's my wife, Cap. I don't want her any where near that," Logan replied, K watched the exchange like a tennis match from behind her bristled up bodyguard. The two argued back and forth until Scott stepped in.

"Logan, why don't you leave it to her to decide?" Scott said reasonably. "Give her the facts, and let her choose."

"What's to choose? Scott, we need a new person on this! You can't -" Steve started but Scott held up his hand as he cut him off.

"You can't just point her at what you want done and expect her to do what you say. _It's her choice _if she wants to help. You're talking to Logan like she's his property. She's a smart, capable woman, let her choose for herself," Scott said. He left both the Avengers and K a bit wordless. Steve sighed and turned to K.

"Like I said - we need help. Stark's armor hasn't been functioning right which means Jarvis is compromised. But he can't figure out how it happened, or how to stop it. He's basically unprotected and these agents have been trying to take him out – or capture him. Again, we're not sure to what end. He's lost three bodyguards in the past week, and there are too many things coming to a head to keep him with another Avenger. We need viable, trustworthy manpower. His schedule for his businesses is too crammed with appearances for his company that we can't have him just blow it off either. Even with Pepper covering a good part of it, it can't be done. We have it from a good source that Madame Hydra is involved and is now in the states. We'd ask a junior SHIELD agent, but honestly, we need someone that can sniff out poison and toxins. So. Mrs. Howlett. Can you help us?"

"Wait, Vipers' involved? _No_. No goddamned way, forget it. Assign me to Stark if you have to. I'll hound dog it for him. That bitch can't get anywhere near her," Logan growled. "You lost three body guards. Three damn body guards and you're tryin ta tell me she won't be in the line of fire?"

"Logan, your problems with Viper not withstanding, you're needed elsewhere," Hank interjected.

"Why not one of Thor's lackeys? Don't he have some misfit band of lunatics that can follow him around?" Logan asked, just lashing out.

"Sif is not immune to poisons, friend," Thor said quietly.

"Neither is K. What about one of yer other buddies then? Gotta be someone else," Logan grumbled. He was bound and determined to keep K safe with the X-Men.

"Logan, I hate to even say it, but if K doesn't do the job for Stark, she'll probably end up taking your place on a mission or two in your absence anyhow," Scott said as Logan tensed further. "She's not going to end up staying home waiting for you." With a sigh, Logan turned to his new wife with concern etched into his features and took her hands in his.

"I don't want you in the line of fire, darlin', and I sure as hell don't want you anywhere near Viper. She's trouble," he said miserably. She leaned forward and kissed him in a move to try and reassure him.

"They're only asking me because I can do what you do, and they need you more somewhere else," she whispered in his ear. "I'll be fine. I'm not going to let anything happen." She gave him a warm smile then turned to Cap.

"You guys are talking Greek to me. Who the hell are these people and what makes this Viper broad such a big problem?" K asked as Logan slid next to her. He was incredibly reluctant to let his hands drift away from her. She smiled as she realized how much he just needed to keep physical contact.

"Short version, Hydra are the bad guys. We've been fighting them since the great war." Cap said.

"Yeah, I knew that, oddly enough," K replied with an irritated tone. What, did they think she was a child?

"And Viper the leader of Hydra and she's also Logan's ex-wife," Tony tossed out there. K froze on hearing it. "And, obviously, she's super evil and likes to poison well, everyone."

"Obviously," K said in a dazed tone as she took in the fact that Logan had neglected to disclose that he was once married and to a bad guy no less. She stared at Logan a moment as she locked her jaw. Not something she wanted to find out about _after _the ceremony.

"What would I have to do?" She asked as her eyes locked back on Cap.

"Pose as one of Stark's associates," Cap replied looking hopeful that they'd captured her attention.

"What associate. If there's not an opening in the organization, what is my cover. You keep skipping that part and well, I kind of need to know before I agree," she said, her patience slipping quickly since hearing about Viper. Cap sighed and Stark took a step back. She watched the movement and tipped her head to the side, hoping he wasn't going to say what she just _knew _he was going to say.

"His … um … his lady friend," Cap mumbled as he looked at the ground. K froze, her eyes narrowed to slits as she glared from one Avenger to the next and Logan started to growl. K slid her hand on his shoulder and he slipped his arm behind her and rested his hand on her hip. She swatted at it, but he didn't remove it.

"Let me get this straight, because I don't want to misconstrue," K started, her tone dangerous to even those that didn't know her yet. "You want me to leave _my honeymoon_ to protect him, while posing as his lover?" She took a step forward as Logan slipped his arm around her waist and held her tightly as she made to spring at them with her claws flying out of her hands "Are you out of your fucking mind?!" She was flat out snarling as Cap stepped back just out of range of her claws and she took a swipe at him. She sliced his tie and cut his jacket.

"Easy with the claws!" he shouted as Logan slipped his arms around her chest and over her arms to hold her arms to her body until she calmed down enough to retract the claws, still fuming at them. Logan however nearly had a smile on his face, entertained as he watched her ready to eviscerate one of his oldest pals for daring to suggest that for a cover story. He leaned forward and nuzzled his nose into her hair as she tried to shrug her shoulder up enough that he couldn't get to her neck.

"Knock it off, I don't want your kisses right now," she muttered. Logan wasn't exactly surprised by her reaction and he let her arms up, but didn't release her. She closed her eyes and held her hands up to them, her palms out while she took a moment to breathe and clear her head.

"When do you need Logan to leave?" she asked with her eyes closed.

"Unfortunately, the sooner the better," Stark said as the sounds of the party drifted over to them in the silence of the corner they were hiding in.

"Give me at least three days," K said as she opened her eyes. "Three days with no contact from any of you. I expect to be left alone, with my _husband_ for at least that long. Then after that time, if he decides to go on this mission with you, I will go with Stark," she promised as she locked eyes with each of them in turn, her expression deadly serious. Logan looked crestfallen at her acceptance of Cap's mission. "But if that isn't acceptable – if that's not soon enough, then too fucking bad. I won't let him go." That however, got a smile from Logan.

"Three days isn't going to be soon enough," Cap said with a panicked look on his face.

"Well, then you can just fuck right off," K said as she crossed her arms. "I have a marriage to consummate, and already you people are trying to get in the middle of that. Three days and I will let him leave me. Not a moment sooner. And I expect him to come back in the same good condition that he left, or so help me God, I will stab every fucking one of you in the eye." She swore with that wicked low growl accenting her offer. Cap hesitantly nodded though he looked shell shocked. He'd never expected that aggressive territorial threat from the little woman.

"Now, if you gentlemen don't mind, my husband and I have to see how far we can push our healing factors," She said with anger still in her tone as she turned to Scott. "Please be sure to thank Heather and Jean for everything they did for us. I'd prefer to do it myself, but I'm racing a clock. Now, if you don't mind - make sure we aren't disturbed." Thor grabbed Logan's arm as he led K past them.

"Congratulations my friend. Though you may want to be careful with her," he told him with a grin though it was clear that he was wary of his fiery little clawed bride.

"Careful nothin' we got three days to fit in two weeks worth of sex," he half laughed with a smirk as he tossed K over his shoulder. He finally won a smile from her as he broke into a run. He carried her to their rustic little love nest as she laughed most of the way.

The group stared after them a moment as Tony reiterated that there was simply no justice in the world anymore.

* * *

ooooOOOOOoooo

* * *

_Thanks for reading - hope you enjoyed it. Drop me a message or a review if you liked what you read. The second bit of this story is currently under renovation but if you want to read it anyhow, Go check out 'Natural Feral Behaviors'. There is also a companion piece to go with this series that focuses on the same story from K's young teen friend's point of view called 'Chloe and Zoe'. _


End file.
